Fernando Alonso has expressed regret that he’s never had the chance to work with Formula 1 design maestro Adrian Newey, who he describes as a “legend of the sport”.
Newey, who has been at Red Bull for nearly two decades, came close to switching to Ferrari when it offered him an extraordinary financial package midway through 2014.
Newey admitted on Beyond the Grid that “discussions in 2014 with Ferrari were purely out of frustration,” due to an uncompetitive Renault engine powering his Red Bull designs at the the start of F1’s hybrid era.
But had he signed on, Alonso could have been convinced to extend his stay at the Italian team beyond 2014, rather than departing for a torrid second run with McLaren in 2015.
The Red Bull man admitted that turning down Ferrari led to some regret “emotionally” but he also said he’d have liked to work with either Alonso or Lewis Hamilton, saying “working with Fernando and Lewis would have been fabulous”.
Those comments left the Spaniard feeling flattered when asked about Newey on the Thursday leading up to this year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“He’s [Newey] a legend of the sport,” Alonso said. “We’ve been very close a few times to work together and we spoke about this.
“I remember when he published the book a few years ago, in Spain I had the privilege to do the first page.
“And for me, just an incredible person that I was so lucky to work in the same environment as him, even if we never work together.
“I’m happy that I’m living and driving in this time that Adrian Newey is building Formula 1 cars. I wish one day I was working with him.
“I will drive the [Aston Martin] Valkyrie at home and maybe I’ll feel something and that will make me happy!” he remarked.
Newey’s commitment to Red Bull amid interest from other parties (such as Ferrari in 2014) has seen him rewarded with a return to title-winning ways.
After Red Bull clinched four titles on the bounce from 2010-2013, the team went on a barren run until Max Verstappen secured his maiden Drivers’ title with the team in 2021.
In the two years since, Red Bull and Verstappen, with Newey’s knowledge contributing have won back-to-back Drivers and Constructors’ Championships with ease.
Meanwhile, Alonso, who last stood on the top step of the podium in 2013 with Ferrari, has seen multiple jumps between teams amount to little reward.
The Spaniard’s second tenure with McLaren from 2015 to 2018 was a disaster, plagued by an under-developed Honda engine and an overall uncompetitive package.
This prompted Alonso to walk away from F1 before returning with Alpine in 2021, the same team that guided him to his two World Titles in 2005 and ’06 when running as Renault.
The Alpine partnership lasted just two seasons, yielding a single podium (Qatar 2021) and ending with bitter on-track rivalry with teammate Esteban Ocon, complaints of engine reliability and a surprise switch to strugglers Aston Martin.
However, in 2023, Aston Martin and Alonso emerged as rejuvenated and potent partnerships, posing the closest challenge to Red Bull.
The 32-time grand prix winner opened his account with six podiums in the first eight races and despite the team suffering a more difficult second half of the season, Alonso added two more podiums to his tally to end the year with eight rostrum appearances.
“It has been a good fit,” Alonso added.
“I think the team is very young, very motivated, ready to embrace the next chapter in the project.
“I think everybody is just all in on this project.
“I’m happy when everybody is dedicated to one mission, dedicated to winning and focused on racing.”
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