Fernando Alonso will be well aware of how much Aston Martin need to improve to stand a chance of fulfilling his and their goals in Formula 1.
On the face of it, Aston Martin maintained their position in the Constructors’ Championship last year.
However, while they have now finished fifth in consecutive seasons, they finished the campaign with 186 fewer points.
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll saw their car slowly slip down the pecking order as the 2024 season went on and Stroll is on the longest run of races of any current F1 driver without a top 10 finish.
Team owner Lawrence Stroll is on a mission to change that, although it’s hard to believe that they’ll manage a sudden turnaround over the winter break.
Adrian Newey heads the list of recruits Aston Martin have brought in to try and become a title-winning outfit.
The highly-regarded Andy Cowell will now lead the team going forward and Enrico Cardile’s arrival from Ferrari is expected to have a positive impact too.
The 2026 F1 regulation changes is when Aston Martin are aiming to challenge for race wins and championships, with Newey likely to exclusively work on the project when he begins working for the team in March.
That represents the final year of Alonso’s contract and potentially his last chance to add to his two world championships and 32 race wins.
The Spaniard was speaking to the Back At Base Podcast and explained how he currently feels about the team and what’s still leaving him ‘surprised’ despite signing from Alpine at the end of 2022.
Fernando Alonso gets an ‘incredible surprise’ every time he visits Aston Martin’s factory
Alonso was asked about Aston Martin’s ‘world-class’ campus and said: “I’m happy that you could visit the campus.
“Obviously, we are there often between races, preparing on the simulator, the next race.
“And yeah, for us, still, you know, a surprise every time we go to Silverstone because there is a new building or a new facility ready for us.
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“[It] has been an incredible surprise, to see everything working smoothly from day one. It’s probably the best facilities in the sport right now.
“So yeah, the future, I think, is great in the team. It’s very attractive to everyone to come and work in Aston Martin.
“Same for the drivers. I feel privileged, I feel very proud to be part of the organisation and yeah, hopefully, we can translate those facilities and that investment into results soon on the weekend.”
Aston Martin have a state-of-the-art factory that is constantly being improved with a new wind tunnel one of the most important additions.
It highlights just how much investment Stroll is willing to put into the team to achieve his goals.
Fernando Alonso running out of time to achieve his final goal in Formula 1
Alonso will turn 44 halfway through the 2025 season and while he’s still got another year left on his contract, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be signing an extension.
That is unless Aston Martin are at the front of the pack in 2026, in which case if he’s still performing at the required level, he may hang on for one more campaign.
Alonso’s F1 career has been underpinned by making moves to the right teams at the wrong time.
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He may have thought he finally escaped that curse at the beginning of 2023 when he was regularly on the podium alongside both Red Bull drivers.
However, that progress was halted quickly halfway through the campaign and hasn’t really restarted, putting more pressure on Newey and his colleagues to find a solution.
If they don’t then Aston Martin might move for Max Verstappen on another star driver to try and achieve their goals.
But there are plenty of Formula 1 fans who would love to see Alonso achieve one last victory before he walks away from the sport.
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