Aston Martin have failed to live up to expectations over the last few seasons and may only have a few more seasons of Fernando Alonso’s talents left.
Signing Adrian Newey last season was a statement of intent to back up the large investment in infrastructure made by billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll. His son, Lance Stroll, missed the most recent race in Spain, and his participation in future events is in doubt.
It’s unknown who Aston Martin intend to draft in alongside Alonso if their Canadian driver is unfit to compete at his home race. They are likely to have several options to choose from, including reserve driver Felipe Drugovich, who is set to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the same time.
Looking ahead to the 2026 F1 regulations, where the team hopes to make a big step, Newey has added ‘wonderful’ value to Aston Martin already, and his insight and nearly 40 years of experience are going to come in very handy.
In fact, change is already on the horizon at the Silverstone-based outfit. Newey has made one ‘brutal’ decision, conducting a reset of operations to break their old habits. It’s something which may be difficult to adjust to now, but will have benefits in the long run.
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Adrian Newey has exposed one area Aston Martin are ‘not very good’ at after attending Monaco race
Aston Martin are readying upgrades for 2026 in Silverstone as they look to get a head-start over some of their competitors on the track.
Sadly, it looks as though Max Verstappen could snub Aston Martin over fears that Newey won’t have much of an effect on their car for 2026. He started work in April, but it does take a long time for ideas to progress from drawing to part.
Journalist Mark Hughes has told The Race’s F1 podcast that the legendary designer has already identified one area that must improve after attending the Monaco Grand Prix last month.
“Certainly, Adrian Newey when he turned up at Monaco, one of the first things he said was that the driver in-loop simulator was not very good,” he said. “That doesn’t explain the previous two years because it has only just come online.
“It’s new. It would certainly, if they have had problems with getting everything to agree, that would certainly likely give the outcomes that we’ve been witnessing in terms of unproductive car developments.”
READ MORE: Fernando Alonso disagrees with what Adrian Newey has just said about Aston Martin, ‘you can be sure’
The biggest challenge Aston Martin faces ahead of the 2026 F1 season
Aston Martin will change engine supplier for the first time in 17 years this off-season, as they prepare to switch from Mercedes to Honda power.
It’s going to be a big adjustment for them, requiring changes to their chassis to accommodate the move. Because they’re designing entirely new cars, it shouldn’t be too awkward for them.
Newey has brought his ‘magic wand’ to Aston Martin, and they’ll be hoping that the changes he makes can propel them to the top.
But it may be a bit soon for them to expect podiums and victories straight away in 2026. With a new engine, they need time to harmonise with the Japanese side of things.
It took Newey three years between 2006 and 2009 to start winning races at Red Bull. Given how much closer things are nowadays, a similar turnaround would be impressive at Aston Martin.
