Fernando Alonso has dismissed suggestions that Adrian Newey should divert his efforts to salvaging Aston Martin's underperforming 2025 Formula 1 car, emphasising that the renowned designer's focus is rightly on the 2026 project.
Between the Saudi Arabian and Miami Grand Prix weekends, Alonso visited Aston Martin's Silverstone headquarters, where he was photographed alongside Newey, who joined the team from Red Bull in March.
"I had lunch with Adrian, we had some conversations, but not much about this year," the two-time world champion told Spanish journalists in Miami.
"They were general conversations about the team and how he has felt in his first weeks at Aston Martin, the changes that could be made to the team to have a better future under his experience," added Alonso, 43, who has yet to score a point in 2025.
"It's exciting to talk to him and be able to work with him—it was a great day."
Aston Martin's 2025 car, designed long before Newey's arrival, has been a significant disappointment.
Team principal Andy Cowell acknowledged the possibility of in-season improvements but stressed the team's primary focus on 2026. "The reason is that we are investing heavily in next year, so we are not panicking about this year's car," he said. "We are using it as a platform to learn how to operate in the new wind tunnel, with new modelling tools, with a bigger team.
"At the moment we use every race to collect data, and this data is now more important to us than points."
Amid reports suggesting Alonso may be losing motivation and confidence in the project, the Spaniard firmly refuted such claims. "I've never lost confidence," he insisted, "and I'm not too worried about 2026.
"This year is a continuation of some of the problems we've had in the last two seasons—we didn't overcome some of those obstacles. For next year, with the new rules, with Adrian on board, nothing from this car will be in the 2026 project. It's a complete reset so I'm not too worried."
Alonso admitted, however, that a quick fix for the 2025 car remains elusive.
"There's nothing we can do overnight," he said. "But we have a better understanding of what we're lacking, our capabilities, and where we stand behind the top teams. Some of the people who have joined have come from teams fighting for titles, so they know what it takes. We're heading in the right direction, but in F1, nothing changes overnight even if no driver wants to wait for a result.
"You have to balance that, be patient, and keep your motivation as high as possible."
While some argue that Newey should apply his renowned design expertise to improve the 2025 car, Alonso disagreed.
"I don't have the knowledge or experience of a racing designer like him about how his time should be dedicated," said the winner of 32 grands prix. "He would have preferred to have joined the team a year ago to start with the 2026 project then, so I'm sure he thinks he's already late.
"So I understand why he's focused on next year's car." Alonso concluded, "He didn't design the 2025 car, he didn't touch it—I don't think it's up to him to fix it."
