Adrian Newey now being forced into ‘semi-teaching’ Aston Martin staff one thing to try and reach McLaren’s level

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Aston Martin have struggled over the past two seasons and have quickly shifted their attention to the upcoming regulation changes next year.

When Fernando Alonso first arrived at Aston Martin in 2023, it appeared as though they had finally taken the step to elevate themselves above Formula 1’s midfield.

Alonso secured six podium finishes in his first eight races with the team, and his teammate Lance Stroll was a regular points scorer.

However, in the last 40 Grand Prix, Aston Martin have only finished on the podium once, with Alonso coming out on top in a brilliant battle with Sergio Perez at the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Throughout the last few seasons, Aston Martin have brought update packages that simply haven’t made the car faster.

Aston Martin have aimed for more driveability with their upgrades this season, but it’s left them sitting eighth in the constructors’ championship as a result.

Adrian Newey is one of the people being tasked with making Aston Martin far more competitive when the 2026 F1 regulations are introduced.

However, as well as working on the intricacies of next year’s car, Gary Anderson believes that he’s also having to take on more of a teaching role with some of his new staff.

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin managing technical partner Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey now ‘semi-teaching’ Aston Martin staff how to use their factory’s new tools

Anderson was asked on The Race F1 Tech Podcast about the difference in the development of McLaren and Aston Martin’s car over the past two seasons and explained: “I think the difference in Aston Martin Racing at the minute is Lawrence Stroll has come in and said, if I have everything that you can possibly want, then we will do well.

“Nobody has said we need this, this, this and this. It’s just let’s build everything, and then we’ll go from there.

“Brand new wind tunnel, brand new rigs, everything.

“But Adrian Newey has come in and now he’s sort of semi-teaching them how to use these tools because you can have the tools, without a doubt.

“If you don’t know how to use them, there was the time, money and effort. So, you need to know why you want to have those tools.”

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Adrian Newey sends 2026 Formula 1 car development warning to every team

Newey is one of the finest designers in Formula 1 history, and has proved his expertise across multiple eras of the sport.

He won his first championship with Williams in 1992, before helping McLaren and Red Bull achieve the same feat.

Winning races and championships with Aston Martin is arguably going to be his most difficult task yet, considering how much the grid has converged in recent years.

However, the new regulations should even the playing field, and could even give one team the chance to take an unexpected lead if they discover a loophole in the rules that others miss.

Newey says he expects every team to struggle with the regulations because of their complexity.

Lawrence Stroll will have to hope that the work Newey is doing with his new colleagues and their state-of-the-art technology now will benefit them for years to come in the future.