While the attention in Formula 1 shifts to the 2025 season, there is significant hype and anticipation surrounding 2026 and the new regulations that are to come into effect.
The latest regulation change in F1 will see a radical new spec of car, as well as a move to using 100% sustainable fuels and a new power unit that has an even split between the internal combustion engine and electrical power.
At this stage, it is impossible to tell which team will benefit the most from the 2026 regulations, with several outfits up and down the paddock going through significant changes.
Red Bull will bring their own power units in collaboration with Ford, while Alpine become a Mercedes customer team after shutting down their factory in Viry-Chatillon.
The 2026 season will also see two new teams join the grid as Audi take over from Sauber as a factory team, while Cadillac are set to join F1 as the 11th team, running Ferrari engines for their first two seasons in the sport.
One of the most interesting teams to look out for in 2026 is Aston Martin, as the Silverstone-based outfit enter a partnership with Honda and will be spearheaded by legendary engineer Adrian Newey for the regulation change.
Peter Windsor says Fernando Alonso will have a ‘very good chance’ at winning the 2026 title
Newey – who built up Red Bull from the midfield when he joined in 2006 to six-time constructors’ champions, as well as winning eight drivers’ titles – has a fantastic track record when it comes to developing teams under new regulations and he will be hoping to do the same at Aston Martin.
The team endured a slump in form in 2024 compared to the year prior. After Fernando Alonso grabbed eight podiums and achieved his best championship finish since 2013 with fourth in 2023, the Spaniard failed to score any podiums this season as Aston Martin were 186 points worse than the previous year in the Constructors’ Championship.
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
666 |
| 2 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
652 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
589 |
| 4 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
468 |
| 5 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
94 |
| 6 |
Alpine F1 Team |
65 |
| 7 |
Haas F1 Team |
58 |
| 8 |
Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team |
46 |
| 9 |
Williams F1 Team |
17 |
| 10 |
Sauber F1 Team |
4 |
With Newey joining the team in the second quarter of 2025, it is unlikely he will have much of an impact on Aston Martin’s development next season. But come 2026, the team could find themselves in a solid position with Honda power units and one of F1’s most successful engineers designing the car.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Peter Windsor believes that Alonso has a ‘very good chance’ of winning the 2026 title if he can convince team owner Lawrence Stroll – his son Lance Stroll being his teammate – and Newey he should stay with the team.
“Well if he keeps the drive and he’s convincing Adrian and the Strolls that he should be in that car in 2026, I think he will have a very good chance of winning a world championship, yes.
“And I don’t think his driving will be necessarily any worse than it would have been 10 years prior.
“I don’t think Fernando would race unless he felt he could do it as well as he wanted to do it and if he’s in an Adrian Newey car and it’s as good as all the other Adrian Newey cars, he could easily win races and win a championship in that car.
“Not easily, I mean, he could logically do it and yeah, I think we all have to be ready for that. I think he could.”
Does Fernando Alonso have it in him to win a third world championship?
The 2024 season was a frustrating season for Aston Martin and Alonso as they took a huge step back from 2023 and fell far behind the top four teams.
But Alonso refused to call 2024 a bad year due to the progress they made off the track with their factory and the addition of Newey. On track, the Spaniard scored 70 of Aston Martin’s points this season as teammate Stroll was considerably outperformed by the two-time champion.
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Alonso says it’s destiny that Newey joined Aston Martin, clearly showing he is excited about driving one of his cars and is ready for the fight in 2026.
The Spaniard will be 45 when the new regulations come into effect, but his performances with Aston Martin in 2023 and his desire to compete with the team in the future show he still has a performance in him in F1. Whether he can fight for race wins and the title again is anyone’s guess at this stage.
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