Andy Cowell just hinted he wants to see a change in Fernando Alonso’s behaviour at Aston Martin this season

Aston Martin have a new team principal this season, with Andy Cowell taking over from Mike Krack. Krack moves into a different role within the operation.

Cowell is best known in the F1 paddock as the mastermind behind Mercedes’ engine dominance between 2014 and 2020. Their power unit was regarded as the best in class as they won eight straight championships.

But Cowell faces a difficult task this season. Aston Martin have been clear that their priority is 2026, which could lead to some short-term frustration as they move resources away from the AMR25.

Adrian Newey has only just started work, and his focus is on next year’s car. The overhaul of the regulations gives Lawrence Stroll’s squad the opportunity they’ve craved to become championship contenders.

Fernando Alonso signed a new multi-year deal last April, underlining his faith in Aston’s long-term chances. But that doesn’t mean he’ll find it easy to accept a year in the lower midfield.

And Aston Martin staff looked miserable after their poor showing in F1 testing. There are fears that, over the full season, they could be the second-slowest team after Sauber.

Andy Cowell tells Fernando Alonso to air his Aston Martin grievances in private

In an interview with Sky Sports after the opening practice session at the Australian Grand Prix, Cowell discussed Alonso’s attitude. Martin Brundle asked him about Alonso’s history of blunt complaints on the radio.

To his credit, Alonso has rarely been critical of the Aston Martin team despite their sharp regression from 2023 to 2024. But the entire paddock remembers his ‘GP2 engine’ tirade during his days at McLaren-Honda.

Cowell hinted that he’d prefer Alonso to raise issues with him in private, rather than using the public airwaves. He regards the Spaniard as a ‘great competitor’ and understands his occasional impulses.

“Fernando sometimes lets his team know in no uncertain terms that he’s not happy,” Brundle said. “Are you ready for that?”

Cowell replied: “Fernando is this great competitor, hugely driven. Like all of us, when it’s not going as we’d like it to, sometimes we say. Fernando’s one of those characters now and again on the radio.

• READ MORE: All you need to know about Aston Martin CEO and team principal Andy Cowell

“The key thing that I want is for him to come and have a chat with me. Come and let me know what the problems are and we’ll work on them and make progress.”

Fernando Alonso suggests something ‘magic’ is about to happen at Aston Martin

Lawrence Stroll shook his head when asked about Aston Martin’s performance after testing. Alonso can accept pain this year so long as he can end his victory drought in 2026, but that is of course far from a certainty.

Due to turn 44 in July, he knows he doesn’t have the luxury of time. It’s likely that he’s signed his last F1 contract, and Aston Martin’s interest in Max Verstappen is clear.

His hopes hinge in large part on what Newey can produce. He and Cowell form a mighty engineering duo that few teams, if any, can match.

Alonso believes Newey can produce ‘magic’ within the next few weeks and months. That suggests he’ll have at least some put on the development direction of this year’s car.