Fernando Alonso is optimistic that Adrian Newey's "magic" could shine through at Aston Martin within a matter of "weeks".
Newey, 66, departed Red Bull amid last year's upheaval and has only recently emerged from 'gardening leave' to start work at his famous non-digital drawing board.
Red Bull adviser Dr Helmut Marko downplayed the departure.
"Formula 1 is a small organisation, and there are always changes within the teams," he told Servus TV. "I don't know anyone, neither driver nor engineer, who has only been with one team.
"And Newey no longer worked full-time for us - he was only in the factory for a few days. This allowed him to build a broader group of engineers for us. It's no longer one individual who makes everything happen - it's a team.
"Newey is a genius, no question, but he also needs a team around him," Marko added.
Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell revealed that since Newey started eleven days ago, his focus has been solely on the all-new 2026 car project.
Alonso, meanwhile, said he hasn't yet spoken to the acclaimed Briton at all lately.
"So far, I haven't heard any feedback from Adrian because I haven't spoken to him yet," the Spaniard said in Melbourne.
"What I've heard from Andy and the engineers is that he has already been to the factory in Silverstone. But first, it was about getting to know the team and meeting everyone.
"It's still the early stages, but he's very focused and very enthusiastic about the future, especially with the 2026 regulations in mind," Alonso continued.
"Hopefully, we'll see some of his magic in the coming weeks and months. I'm looking forward to hearing firsthand from him when I get back to Europe how he assesses our situation."
For the 2025 car, 43-year-old Alonso is keeping expectations modest. "I think it's better than what we had before," he said, "but it's still not in an ideal place, 100 per cent."
Alpine adviser Flavio Briatore cautioned Aston Martin against relying too heavily on Newey alone.
"One man can help," he told Corriere della Sera newspaper, "but he can't change everything.
"Adrian is the true artist of F1, but he still has to have a group that is able to translate his thoughts."
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, who often joins Newey and his manager Eddie Jordan in their spare time in Cape Town, noted that Newey is "already fully focused on next year".
"There will certainly be a few new people joining, which Newey will bring with him from Red Bull or other teams," Schumacher told Sky Deutschland. "But I don't expect Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso to be there until 2026.
"This year the motto is more 'hang in there' as they restructure the team. All in all, I'm expecting another difficult year for them. But it will be a new team next year, with new people around Newey. I'm pretty sure about that."
