Alonso fears he has “no time” to benefit from Newey’s influence

Fernando Alonso says he played a role in persuading Formula 1 design legend Adrian Newey to join Aston Martin, but admits he may be running out of time to capitalise on his work.

After months of speculation, Aston Martin announced on Tuesday that it had signed Newey to work on its 2026 car project from March 2025, with Newey leaving Red Bull upon completion of its RB17 hypercar project.

Several teams, including Ferrari, had actively sought Newey’s signature after the 65-year-old signaled that he wanted to leave Red Bull at the end of April.

Alonso has also admitted that he tried to persuade the designer, as he has long harbored a desire to work with him. With the Spaniard’s driving career uncertain beyond the 2026 season, he knows he may not have much time to enjoy the fruits of Newey’s labour.

When Alonso announced his contract extension with Aston Martin in April, he said he would continue to drive for the team in 2025 and 2026, but would move into an ambassadorial role after the end of his F1 driving career.

“The announcement was a positive week for the team and he is a great addition to the team,” said Alonso. “I think that in some ways the Aston Martin team is the team of the future.”

“There are pretty good things ahead for us as a team in the next few months. Step by step, we all want to get our first race win and hopefully fight for championships in the future.”

“I realize that this takes time and in some ways I don’t have that time. But I’m relaxed and enjoying the journey.”

Alonso said he spoke to Newey over the weekend of the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, where the design legend drove a 1968 Lotus 49B.

“I definitely texted him, as probably everyone who wanted to work with him did,” he explained his role in persuading Newey to join.

“I also saw him at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix and we also talked for half an hour.

“We all tried to convince him and I think that ultimately, when I listened to Adrian, Lawrence and his vision, the new factory and the future plans of Aston Martin and Honda were probably the key factors.”

When asked to clarify his own driving future, the 2005 and 2006 F1 world champion said: “I will drive in 2026. After 2026 I will drive… either in Formula 1 or in other series.”

“When I’m not racing in Formula 1, I’ll be with the Aston Martin team in one way or another. So hopefully I’ll enjoy that bright future.”

When team boss Mike Krack was asked if Newey’s arrival would change Alonso’s plans, he joked that the Spaniard was so excited that he offered to pay part of Newey’s salary.

Drivers and management of the Aston Martin F1 team at Newey’s launch

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“It’s clear that Fernando has a long future in this team and he was very excited about it. On Tuesday he even said that he would give part of his salary to Adrian,” joked Krack. “There was talk of 10%, 20%, so I’ll find out later today how much it really is.”

“But you can really see the great respect these two people have for each other and I think they want to achieve something.

“Adrian always wanted to work with someone like Fernando and vice versa.”