Adrian Newey will officially join Aston Martin on 1 March. Newey becomes the managing technical partner at the team after leaving Red Bull.
Lawrence Stroll pursued the legendary designer because he believes he can deliver a title-winning car. Stroll is doing all he can to develop Aston, who currently occupy a midfield berth, into a contender.
Newey will link up with Andy Cowell, who recently repositioned himself as team principal. Cowell headed up the Mercedes engine project that was central to their dominance of F1 between 2014 and 2020.
With former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile on board, Aston appear to have the engineering talent they need to become champions. But some would question whether they have the drivers.
Fernando Alonso maximised the realistic potential of the car by finishing ninth in last year’s standings. He’s lifted F1’s most coveted trophy twice, winning 32 Grands Prix.
But Alonso will be 44 years old by the start of the 2026 season, when Aston can realistically target victories. And then there’s Lance Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence, who’s been blighted by inconsistency throughout his F1 career.
Adrian Newey doesn’t think Lance Stroll is ‘good enough’ for Aston Martin
According to Daily Mail reporter Jonathan McEvoy, Aston Martin are intent on signing Max Verstappen. One source claims they’ve even been telling prospective sponsors that the Red Bull megastar will be on board.
Alonso and Stroll were both out of contract heading into 2024, but they each signed new multi-year deals. If the Silverstone outfit want Verstappen for ’26, they’ll need to move one of them aside.
And the aforementioned source states that the incoming Newey has major reservations about both drivers. He fears Alonso is ‘too old’, wary that an inevitable decline will soon set in.
| Category | Lance Stroll | Fernando Alonso |
| 2024 points | 24 | 70 |
| Grand Prix results | 6 | 18 |
| Grand Prix qualifying | 5 | 19 |
| Grand Prix wins | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Prix poles | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Prix podiums | 0 | 0 |
| Best finish | 6th | 5th |
| Retirements | 2 | 1 |
| Retirements (classified finish) | 1 | 0 |
| Did not start | 1 | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 | 2 |
| Grand Prix points finishes | 6 | 14 |
| Sprint results | 3 | 3 |
| Sprint Qualifying | 3 | 3 |
| Sprint wins | 0 | 0 |
| Sprint poles | 0 | 0 |
| Sprint podiums | 0 | 0 |
But Newey is also ‘believed to think’ that Stroll ‘is not a good enough driver’. He’s issued this rather brutal verdict behind closed doors.
It’s unclear whether Newey will have influence on the team’s driver market decisions. His status as a partner may broaden the scope of his role.
What Adrian Newey publicly said about Lance Stroll during Red Bull tenure
Newey’s stance on Alonso is a surprise. The duo have previously spoken of one another in glowing terms.
Speaking in 2023, Newey called Alonso a ‘tremendous’ driver and admitted his regret that he hadn’t been able to work with him.
Now he has that opportunity, but perhaps he longs for an earlier version of the Spaniard. At his unveiling in September, Newey also said he ‘admired’ Stroll after watching him during his F3 days.
Clearly, that’s not consistent with the latest revelations. Stroll peaked with a top-six finish at last year’s Australian GP, but also failed to score in the last 11 rounds.
