Adrian Newey chose to join Aston Martin as their F1 managing technical partner after leaving Red Bull to finally work with the two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso.
Milton Keynes had been the 66-year-old’s home since February 2006, yet Newey called time on his tenure at Red Bull last May. He ultimately signed with Aston Martin in September, but Newey’s first day in Silverstone was not until this March following a spell of gardening leave.
Aston Martin made Newey a 5% shareholder to secure his arrival, having faced competition from most of the grid. The Briton is the most successful person in Formula 1 history, having designed a total of 14 drivers’ titles and 12 constructors’ championship-winning cars so far.
Alonso will hope the Briton’s magic pays off for Aston Martin next year, with Newey focused on the 2026 F1 regulations. He has offered his new colleagues at Aston Martin some advice on how to improve their 2025 car, but the Colchester native’s priority is the 2026 F1 season.
Fernando Alonso disagrees with Adrian Newey that Aston Martin need two years to fix their simulator
Another of the main reasons why Aston Martin bet big to sign Newey to a lucrative contract is his ability to troubleshoot not only the design of a new F1 car, but a team. He has already used his first months in Silverstone to identify aspects where Aston Martin can improve, too.
READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin managing technical partner Adrian Newey
Newey revealed at the Monaco GP, whilst making his first in-person appearance as an Aston Martin employee, that some of the tools at their factory in Silverstone are ‘weak’. He deems Aston Martin’s driver-in-the-loop simulator as one area that especially ‘needs a lot of work’.
The data Aston Martin gather from their simulator does not correlate with the data received from the car on a real track. But team principal Andy Cowell has played down Newey’s fears about Aston Martin’s simulator after the design icon suggested it could take two years to fix.
Alonso has also now played down Newey’s fears that Aston Martin will require two years to get their driver-in-the-loop simulator up to scratch. The 43-year-old also stresses that Aston Martin are well-aware of their need to improve it given its vital role in developing their cars.
“I don’t think any team has a perfect one,” Alonso said in the Thursday press conference at the Spanish Grand Prix. “The car is dynamic in real life. It changes at every corner, in every session. No two laps are the same because of the wind, the traffic [and] the temperature.
“When you try to replicate that in a simulator, in a perfect environment, it’s very different. I think we’ll need less than two years to fix it. It’s not new. I know Adrian said it in Monaco, but you can be sure the drivers have mentioned it before.”
Fernando Alonso will hope Adrian Newey’s title-winning magic touches Aston Martin
Alonso believes Newey is ‘unlike anything I’ve ever worked with before’, having been blown away by the design legend’s creativity and vision for how to develop a Formula 1 car. Newey won his first constructors’ and drivers’ titles with Williams and Nigel Mansell back in 1992.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and chassis regulations
Aston Martin and Alonso will now hope Newey can design his latest title-winning car whilst leading the development of their package for the 2026 F1 regulations. Aston Martin are still yet to win a single Grand Prix and Alonso won his drivers’ titles in 2005 and 2006 at Renault.
Alonso also scored Aston Martin’s last podium at the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil and is also yet to get a point so far in the 2025 F1 season before the Spanish GP. Lance Stroll has 14 points this term, but has not finished a Grand Prix in the top 10 since round two in China.
Alonso even has to look all the way back to the 2013 Spanish GP at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with Ferrari for his 32nd and most recent Grand Prix victory. His last pole position was also at the 2012 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, when Alonso secured his 22nd yet.
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