Fernando Alonso seems to be breathing easier after confirming the improvement of the AMR25 in the last three races of the championship, which have earned him his first points of the year. But the credit for this improvement goes to Adrian Newey, the legendary engineer who, by his mere presence, makes the rest of the Aston Martin team better.
A change of fortune for Aston Martin
It has only been three months since Adrian Newey got to work with his new team, and it seems that the pieces within the factory are starting to fall into place. Although there is still time for the gears to mesh perfectly, the first shoots are green (never better said), and Aston Martin seems to be taking the first steps necessary if they want to achieve their main goal of becoming a benchmark team in F1 from next season onwards.
At the recent Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the AMR25 took a step forward with the first updates of the year, the first parts to bear the stamp of the team’s new wind tunnel, under the supervision of Newey, and the results have been encouraging: after a disastrous start to the season, fighting not to be the worst team in the field, the AMR25 has emerged in the middle of the grid, managing to get the Oviedo driver’s car into Q3 in Italy, Monaco, and Spain (Stroll also made it through in Italy), and scoring the Asturian’s first points in last weekend’s Grand Prix in Barcelona.
The car is expected to continue to evolve throughout the season, and it looks like the next package of upgrades will arrive for the F1 Silverstone Grand Prix, which will take place at the beginning of July.
Adrian Newey changes everything
The presence of Adrian Newey has been instrumental in enabling the British team to take a step forward this season. Aston Martin said that the engineer was focused exclusively on 2026, which is only half the truth, and we all know that half the truth hides some lies. The truth is that the AMR25 is serving as a test bed for the AMR26, and all the developments for next season’s car that can be introduced into this year’s car, as long as the regulations allow, will be tested. Therefore, Newey has no choice but to keep an eye on what happens on the track, contributing his knowledge in this way.
To date, he has only been seen on the Monaco track, and Fernando Alonso commented on the importance of his presence alongside the rest of the team and how his mere presence influences everyone.
“His presence in the meeting room is special. And I don’t think it’s intimidating, but the level of the team was higher thanks to his presence because everyone was more focused, more on the details of the car.”
“Now nobody lies. The people who were talking in the meeting knew they couldn’t say anything too far from the truth because he would spot it immediately.”
Target 2026
Aston Martin’s target is 2026, the new project and the main reason why Adrian Newey was chosen by Lawrence Stroll. Every team he has been with has become world champion. Fernando Alonso was eager to work with the engineer before his retirement, and the feeling was mutual because Newey also wanted it. A duo that only understands racing at the highest level and strives for excellence to reach the pinnacle of motorsport.