Adrian Newey's Aston Martin is now the BEST team to join in F1

Adrian Newey, Aston Martin, Bahrain, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

Aston Martin F1

Adrian Newey's Aston Martin is now the BEST team to join in F1

Alonso has the hot seat but for how long?

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Sunday 30 August 2026 20:45

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You read that headline correctly - Aston Martin is THE place to be in F1. Yes, the team with three points and second bottom in the constructors' championship.

It's been a torrid season so far with any hopes of challenging for race wins replaced as early as January by fears that they may be the slowest team on the grid. It hit the team and their star driver Fernando Alonso like a tonne of bricks.

Throughout the spring they were battling with rookie outfit Cadillac to avoid being the outright slowest team, and despite Alonso fluking a point in Monaco, the US newcomers soon left them trailing behind.

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The reason for this was team principal Adrian Newey making the brave and bold call to delay upgrades to the car to save them for one big update at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July - 16 of them in fact. This instantly took them off the bottom and back into the midfield.

Last weekend's Dutch Grand Prix provided another big breakthrough, as on merit Alonso secured the team's best finish of the season to claim ninth and two points at Zandvoort, following a Honda engine upgrade for the race.

Alonso and his team-mate Lance Stroll both had complaints about the driveability of the car in the Netherlands and it's something Honda have identified and believe they can make up several tenths by fixing. The team could gain even more time.

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Aston Martin are on the up

After a major false start, the Aston Martin and Honda project is now properly up and running and the team in green is the No. 1 destination for any stars wanting a top drive.

Of course, being the 'best team to join' and 'being the best team' are two completely different things. Aston Martin are not the latter just yet, but they are definitely the former.

Admittedly this is something which has been partly facilitated by other teams - namely McLaren and Red Bull.

Lando Norris has now signed a deal locking him at McLaren for what would be 12 seasons with the team.

McLaren is built around Norris and any driver going there is at a disadvantage from the off if they want to become a title challenger.

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Ditto, Max Verstappen at Red Bull - he will always be the main concern at the team as long as he is around. If you are joining Verstappen as team-mate, forget having a chance at world championships.

Ferrari already looked very cosy with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, and while Mercedes haven't officially confirmed Kimi Antonelli for 2027, he is their new star driver and focus of the team - especially with George Russell not showing enough pace to challenge him.

These are your top four teams effectively locked out for the rest of the decade, at the very least if you want a title shot without having to battle driver favouritism.

Options elsewhere are slim pickings. Haas are underfunded, Cadillac have a steep learning curve, Alpine's ambition is questionable, Williams lack facilities, Racing Bulls are a B team.

Audi do have the finances and ambition, but it could be a long time before that project sees any sort of championship success. Therefore the only game in town is Newey and Aston Martin.

Project Newey offers only real title chance

Top drives are disappearing but there is genuinely one left, the question is the timing of it. Fernando Alonso has the right seat but probably the wrong time and I include 2027 in this. It's the 2028 season which is the big one.

Nothing is certain but it's sensible time frame for Newey to have learned the new rules and design/draw a game-changing car, and for Honda to at least catch up to the top engine suppliers, especially with the Additional Development and Upgrades Opportunities (ADUO) benefits.

Every driver not at a top team and not committed beyond 2028 should be targeting Aston Martin. The winner could put themselves into a championship-winning car.

It's a priceless opportunity given that the likes of Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari have locked plenty of drivers out of such a chance. The type of opportunity which does not come around very often.

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Written by

Dan Ripley - Global Editor

I've been a massive F1 fan since the mid 1990s and continue to study the history of the sport long before that. As an experienced motor sport reporter covering F1, MotoGP and the LeMans 24 Hour race, being part of GPFans has allowed me to work with a diverse team with all sorts of different backgrounds in watching the sport and given me a greater appreciation of F1.

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F1 Aston Martin Fernando Alonso