F1 insider asks the unthinkable as Adrian Newey's Aston Martin struggles laid bare

Former driver and pundit Johnny Herbert has questioned whether we are seeing the F1 demise of Adrian Newey after his struggles at Aston Martin this season.

Newey was one of the hottest properties on the F1 market when his services became available following his exit from Red Bull in 2024, with Aston Martin able to convince the design genius to sign on the dotted line.

In his first season with the team, Aston Martin finished seventh in the constructors' standings, but with new regulations and a Honda power unit coming in for 2026, this was supposed to be the year that Newey's impact was really felt.

However, it has been a really tough year for the team so far, with only one point scored between Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, and only Cadillac having fared worse up to this point.

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Johnny Herbert: Is this the demise of Adrian Newey?

A major series of upgrades in Hungary last time out have offered hope that the team can be more competitive for the remainder of the season and heading into 2027. However, Herbert says it's difficult to understand how things have gone so wrong for Newey and Aston Martin, and questioned whether we are seeing his F1 demise.

"It is frustrating for both Spanish drivers Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, they are really struggling. Their cars are very, very poor, and for Fernando it's even worse, particularly bad," Herbert told Vision4Sport.

"But that’s just how the cookie crumbles sometimes. You look at what they've put together Aston Martin with Adrian Newey, the new factory and all that, and having Fernando on board at the same time and it’s difficult to understand how it has gone so wrong.

"For whatever reason, Adrian hasn't been able to put together a crew that is able to put together a good car or even one that is half competitive for what they are trying to achieve.

"Interestingly, is this the demise of Adrian Newey, the first sign of him on a downward spiral? It happens in sport even to the very best. It was always going to happen; if not quite yet, then there will be a point when it happens."

While Herbert doubts whether Newey still has the brilliance which has unquestionably made him F1's foremost design genius in recent decades, he may well have spoken too soon.

Newey and Aston appeared to take the first step back to relevance at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with a massive package of upgrades (16 in total) delivering an improvement of c. 2 seconds in lap times.

The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort will give us another reality check about Aston Martin's prospects when Honda bring their long-awaited power unit upgrade. Newey has also teased future chassis tweaks planned for Monza and Baku.

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