Adrian Newey’s choice to agree a switch to Aston Martin in 2025 will see him address a long-standing regret in Formula 1 at having not worked with Fernando Alonso.
Aston Martin has announced the much-anticipated news that Newey will begin work with the team next term when his near two-decade spell with Red Bull concludes.
The sport’s most revered designer has opted to pen a lucrative long-term deal with Aston Martin as the Silverstone-based squad bids to become an F1 title challenger.
Newey will be tasked with working alongside a star-studded technical setup to construct a car that enables Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll to claim race victories.
Alonso hasn’t had the chance to work with Newey in his extensive career up until now, with the two remaining rivals when the Spaniard endured near misses at Ferrari.
However, that did not stop Newey from expressing his admiration towards Alonso, who continues to compete and chase an elusive third Drivers’ title well into his 40s.
Asked whether there was a driver that he had missed out on co-operating with in F1, Newey told the BBC in 2023: “In terms of drivers, Fernando is one I have always…”
He later added: “That’s a regret that that never happened because I have a tremendous respect for Fernando.
“The truth is, first of all, I try to live in the present and the future and not the past. Regrets? No.
“I just feel tremendously lucky to have had the opportunities I’ve had and to have worked with the people I have done and met the people I have done.”
The respect between the two men is mutual as Alonso has reiterated on several occasions that he would love to experience driving a Newey-designed machine in F1.
“Look, if one day Newey finally signs for Aston Martin then it would be an honour for me to work with him because he is the best in history,” Alonso told DAZN.
“He is a genius in this sport and it would be incredible to work with him.
“But if the time doesn’t come, then fine, and if the time comes and it only coincides with six months of my career or a year, then good for me.
“We’ll see and when I have to think about whether I want to continue racing or not, it depends on so many things and the moment we’re in that I don’t know, and I prefer not to think about it.”
However, speaking earlier this month, Alonso conceded that Newey’s vast technical expertise would not be enough alone to transcend Aston Martin’s current issues.
“I think it’s not only one man’s job to fix things,” he told media including Motorsport Week at the Italian Grand Prix.
“It’s more what we have now and what we are producing. Understanding what is going in the right direction, what is going in the wrong direction, and try to prepare 2025 in a better way.”
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