BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin is Formula 1’s “team of the future” after hiring Red Bull car designer Adrian Newey with an eye on the new regulations coming in 2026.
The arrival of Newey, who has designed title-winning cars for more than 30 years, is a statement of intent from Aston Martin and its billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll.
Newey has said he’s particularly keen to work with Aston Martin driver Alonso, who he described as being like an “archenemy” for the way he’s posed a challenge to Newey’s previous teams.
“He’s a great addition to the team,” Alonso said on Thursday ahead of this week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “The Aston Martin team is the team of the future, in a way.”
Newey’s signature was sought by F1 teams since Red Bull said in May he’d leave the team. Alonso said he’d joined Aston Martin’s efforts to persuade Newey.
“I texted him for sure, like everybody did probably. I wanted to work with him,” he said. “I saw him also at the Monaco Grand Prix that he was racing that week (in May) as well, and we spent half an hour chatting.
“I don’t know, I mean we all tried to persuade him. Ultimately, I think Lawrence and his vision, the new factory and what Aston Martin wants for the future, together with Honda as well, were probably key factors.”
Newey can’t start work at Aston Martin until March 2025 under the terms of his exit from Red Bull, where he was widely credited with laying the groundwork for Max Verstappen to win three successive titles.
That will be too late for Newey to influence Aston Martin’s car development next season, Alonso said, arguing it would be a better use of the 65-year-old British designer’s time to prepare for 2026.
“March ‘25, I think the focus for most of the teams will be the ’26 project and the change of regulations,” Alonso said.
“I don’t think that (it) is really worth spending too much in the ‘25 campaign unless you are fighting for the championship. I hope we have a nice surprise, but I doubt it. So I think the ’26 project should be the first car that he has an influence.”
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