Alonso opens up on Newey hopes after disaster start

Fernando Alonso has opened up on his hopes for Aston Martin now that Adrian Newey is in the fold and working on the team's 2026 car.

Alonso's start to this season has been dreadful, crashing out of the opening race in Australia before a brake issue forced him out of the Chinese Grand Prix in the early stages.

This season is expected to be a transitional one for the Lawrence Stroll-owned team, as they gear up for their first season with a Newey-designed car under the new regulations.

Alonso preached patience when speaking to the media last month, pushing back on the idea that assembling the right mix of personnel could guarantee instant results.

Alonso: F1 is not football

“I think the package is completed now, so we will need time. This is not football. Football is very easy, you take the best pitch, the best manager, the best players and eventually you win maybe the next match.

“In F1 you can have the best facilities and the best people but you still need time to put all the ingredients together and win and we have so many examples in F1 history."

He continued: “Obviously, we’ve all been very busy – from the Bahrain test to Australia, then straight to here in China. When we go back to the factory, hopefully, we’ll have more time to sit down properly. But I know he’s really motivated, and he’s fully involved in everything that’s coming for 2026.

“He’s also looking at what we’re doing every weekend. I’m definitely looking forward to working with him. I know his thinking, I know his approach for the last years, we’ve be talking for many years, we’ve been together last year at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, we had lunch together.

“So I know what he’s capable of, and I’m excited for the future.”

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