Fernando Alonso has explained that Aston Martin must utilise the remainder of this year’s Formula 1 season to ensure that Adrian Newey’s 2026 car is best-placed to challenge for success.
The Silverstone-based squad is in the midst of a tough season, having scored just 22 points in the first 10 rounds.
Its AMR25 challenger has seen both Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll languish in the midfield or at the foot of the grid, but Alonso has managed to confirm some marked improvement by securing two points in the last two races.
Newey made his first public appearance with the team in Monaco, in which Alonso was running well before a power unit failure forced him into retirement.
The 66-year-old has offered some slight input into the current car, but his focus is primarily on the car which will contest next year, which sees the start of the long-awaited new regulations.
Alonso has said that whilst this year has so far been a struggle, there is a high morale through Newey’s presence, and the team must take the learnings from it to ensure the remaining 14 races can help enable Newey to spearhead a potential challenge for 2026.
“It has been challenging, but we have understood and we know the problem in the car now, but we cannot put too much focus into solving the problem,” Alonso told media including Motorsport Week.
“Because we need to think about the future and for 2026, but even if it is too late, we will try to get better in the second part of the year, and a lot of the motivation we have for next year is thanks to him.
“With all the difficulties we have had this year and the problems we are facing, having him on board is giving us enough confidence to look forward to 2026, and expectations will be high, but with the feet on the ground, as we know how far behind we are now.
“Even if there is a change in regulations, we need to somehow find better performance with this year’s car, and we need to be better.
“Even if we had a fast car now, there are a couple of areas we need to keep improving, so we are trying to use 2025 to tackle these and be ready for [Newey] as well.”
Could Aston Martin thrive in 2026 with a Newey-designed car?
Newey has been honest about some of the shortcomings he perceives in Aston’s on-site equipment, namely its in the loop simulator.
However, has also described the Silverstone facility as “the best” in F1, which surely creates an air of confidence that it can ramp up a challenge for next year.
The 2026 season is a step into the unknown to some extent, and the new regulations mean there will be a potential myriad of different interpretations of them.
Newey himself described the situation as “scary,” but Aston will surely feel that a figure of his stature in the sport gives it the perfect chance to compete with the big boys.
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