Newey hasn’t forgotten how to design an F1 car

Fernando Alonso has reiterated his utmost confidence in Aston Martin team boss Adrian Newey, claiming it’s not like he’s ‘forgotten’ how to design a Formula 1 car despite a difficult pre-season.

F1 is introducing widespread regulation changes this year, meaning the pecking order is largely unknown, but current signs point towards Aston Martin being comfortably behind.

That’s because it’s been hit with problem after problem in preparation for 2026: it all started with the wind tunnel programme starting four months late in mid-April 2025. This set the Silverstone outfit significantly behind, and at the first collective shakedown of the year in Barcelona, it didn’t hit the track until day four, meaning it completed less mileage than others. 

Aston was also low on mileage at last week’s Bahrain test, as on day one a power unit problem caused Lance Stroll to complete just 36 laps, before the squad also missed much of day three after a mechanical issue. Alonso had a better day two with 98 laps, but he set the second slowest lap and this all caused Stroll to claim “we’re four seconds off” in an extremely downbeat interview.

The problem is heightened by Aston having entered the new rules with great expectations: it became a Honda works’ outfit and had F1 legend Newey design the car after joining in early 2025. But Alonso is not overly fazed by the current situation especially because of his boss, who has 12 title-winning cars on his CV, as the Spaniard said “yeah” when asked if his confidence in the team remains. 

“Especially on the chassis side,” the world champion added. “The power unit, it’s a little bit more difficult because we don’t have good understanding yet on the regulations and what is needed.

“But on the chassis side, there is no question mark on that. After 30-plus years of Adrian dominating the sport, it’s not that he will forget everything in one year.

“I don’t know where we are now in terms of chassis and grip level, but even if we are not at 100 now, we will be at 100 soon because we will fix any problem on the power unit. We need to give time and understand where we are and, if we are behind, get better as soon as possible.”

The impact of Newey joining Aston has been felt across the team according to ambassador Pedro de la Rosa, who was particularly impressed with the Briton’s response to Bahrain testing. 

“We are the same people, we are the same; it’s just the fact that since Adrian has arrived, his leadership is unquestionable,” said the ex-F1 driver on day three of testing. 

“That’s the biggest difference. I felt it, for example, yesterday, after a very difficult day testing here in Bahrain, he spoke on the technical debrief, and his leadership is so strong that all the team knows exactly what they have to do.

“This is very different from previous years, where everyone could have their own theory about things. Adrian is very clear what has to be done, and no one raises their hand to question him. 

Pedro de la Rosa of Spain, Aston Martin F1 Team

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“Therefore, you have this massive amount of resources working in one single direction. I know it might not sound convincing to you, but believe me, sitting there and listening to this moment was very inspiring for all of us. Especially when things go wrong. When things go right, we don’t need a leader. It’s when things go wrong.”

De la Rosa’s belief in Newey is so strong that he doesn’t believe it’s a panic station just yet for Aston Martin – with him confident it can turn things around.

“I think it’s a turning point, having Adrian in the team,” added de la Rosa. “We are not happy, let’s be honest. No one is happy when you are second slower than what you were expecting. But it’s true as well to say that no one is worried. It’s different. We are not happy, but we are not like, ‘Oh, this is it, no, no way’.”

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— The Autosport.com Team