BAKU-. Fernando Alonso believes that Aston Martin It is the “team of the future” of the Formula 1 following the hiring of Red Bull designer Adrian Newey, with an eye on 2026, when the new regulations will begin to apply.
The arrival of Newey, who has designed winning cars for more than 30 years, is a statement of intent by the team and its billionaire owner, Lawrence Stroll.
Newey said he was particularly keen to work with Alonso, whom he described as a kind of “arch-enemy” because of the challenge he presented to Newey when he was at other teams.
“He’s a great addition to the team,” the Spanish driver said on Thursday ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend. “Aston Martin is the team of the future, in a way.”
Several F1 teams have tried to sign Newey since Red Bull announced in May that it would leave the team. Alonso said he had joined Aston Martin’s efforts to persuade Newey.
“Of course I wrote to him, everyone else probably did. I wanted to work with him,” he said. “I saw him at the Monaco Grand Prix he was racing in that week (in May) and we talked for half an hour.”
“I don’t know, I think we all tried to persuade him. In the end I think Lawrence and his vision, the new factory and what Aston Martin wants to achieve in the future, together with Honda, were probably key factors.”
Newey will be able to work for Aston Martin until March 2025 under the terms of his contract termination with Red Bull, where he is credited with laying the groundwork for Max Verstappen to win three consecutive titles.
It is too late for Newey to have any influence on the development of next season’s Aston Martin, Alonso acknowledged, adding that it may be better to use the 65-year-old British designer with an eye to 2026.
“I think that the attention of almost all teams will be on the 2026 project and the change in regulations,” said Alonso.
