F1 mastermind warns about 'worst case' for legendary driver

Newey arrives at Aston Martin — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 mastermind warns about 'worst case' for legendary driver

The former Red Bull design chief is midway through his first year at Aston Martin

Kevin McKenna

Thursday 29 May 2025 17:00

Future inner-circle Formula 1 Hall of Famer Adrian Newey has admitted that his new project could take longer than expected.

The ex-Red Bull supremo was lured to Aston Martin from his former team last year, finally being allowed to work on Lawrence Stroll's team's career early in 2025.

While he is confident they will be ready to compete, he has raised concerns regarding the new simulator, admitting that significant work must be put in to improving it if they wish to keep up with their rivals.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport at the Monaco Grand Prix, Newey said: "It's not providing us with a good correlation at the moment.

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"We have to put a lot of work into it because, first, it's an important development tool and, second, it's supposed to support us in our tuning work.

"In the worst case, that could be a two-year task."

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Newey optimistic on Aston Martin future

"But a wind tunnel is like an engine test bench. It all depends on the ideas of the people who feed it."

While Newey's attention is on the future, Aston Martin's driver pairing of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are trying to get their respective 2025 campaigns up and running.

Alonso heads into this weekend's Spanish GP as one of four drivers without a point to his name after eight rounds, while his team-mate has collected just 14.

But although both have cut frustrated figures throughout this season, their struggles have come as no surprise, particularly to Alonso, who has repeatedly played down expectations.

Max Verstappen Aston Martin Adrian Newey Monaco Grand Prix Lawrence Stroll