Impact of Adrian Newey’s Late Start at Aston Martin on 2026 F1 Regulations and Performance

Legendary designer Adrian Newey, Aston Martin‘s new Managing Technical Partner, believes he could have started even a year earlier to tackle the 2026 Formula 1 regulations more effectively. Despite being presented last year, Newey only joined in early March, focusing on kick-starting the 2026 regulations cycle.

Struggles in 2025 and the Focus on 2026 Regulations

However, Aston Martin is currently grappling with performance issues in 2025 against its midfield rivals. Speculation about Newey’s involvement in the current car’s development has already been refuted by team principal Andy Cowell.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who hasn’t scored a point this season, supports this decision, suggesting that Newey would have preferred to join the team a year ago for the 2026 project. “I think he would probably have preferred joining the team one year ago and start on ’26,” said Alonso. “So, even for the ’26 project, I’m sure that he thinks it’s late.

Alonso had lunch with Newey at Aston Martin‘s new Silverstone factory before Miami, and he expressed confidence that the team’s 2025 struggles won’t impact their bounce-back when the new era begins. He also praised Newey and other key hires for bringing invaluable championship-winning expertise to the ambitious Lawrence Stroll-owned outfit.

Asked if his conversation with Newey had renewed his faith in the team’s ability to turn things around, Alonso replied: “Not really, I think I never lost the trust, I’m not too worried about next year.” He added that the new regulations and Newey’s expertise would ensure nothing from the 2025 car would be carried over into the 2026 project.

Alonso emphasized that there is a better understanding of where Aston Martin lacks capabilities and where they are behind some top teams. He also highlighted that new hires, coming from world championship contenders, will bring valuable insights to help the team improve.