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Fernando Alonso faces a critical year in his Formula 1 career as he enters a new era with Aston Martin in 2026.
The Spaniard has been longing for a competitive car in Silverstone after struggling to reach the same heights as he did with the team in 2023. This season, with the new regulations, it is hoped that he could have just that.
With Adrian Newey on board as chief designer and team principal, Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll should, in theory, have the tools to succeed, given the 67-year-old’s track record with regulation changes and taking teams from the midfield into champions.
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However, Aston Martin have been hit with various problems surrounding their AMR26. There are concerns about Honda’s engine, as they admit that they are behind the curve with the new regulations.
Likewise, Aston Martin’s fuel supplier Aramco is also facing issues. It was feared that Aston Martin would not make it to Barcelona for the first shakedown of 2026, but while they did get on track for the final two days, there is a lot of work ahead of them.
Adrian Newey privately told Fernando Alonso that Aston Martin are ‘months’ behind their rivals
Newey says Aston Martin have ‘the best wind tunnel in F1’, having built new state-of-the-art facilities in Silverstone. However, the team did not test it until April last year, months behind their rivals as they began development for 2026 early.
Newey has been open about Aston Martin’s progress ahead of the new season, as Alonso told AS at the launch of the AMR26. He says that the team principal has told the team that they are ‘months’ behind what he thinks the rest of the grid is doing.
Asked if he has a feeling for the new car yet, Alonso replied: “No, I don’t have it yet. I’m using Bahrain as that first contact. I’m aware of some challenges we have, and I’m not the one saying this; Newey has said it too.
“That we were a few months behind what he thinks the other teams were doing, and the same goes for Honda, who have had more difficulties than they expected with the engine.
“We believe we have some issues to resolve regarding the project’s competitiveness, and we don’t have much time; there’s only a month until Australia.
“Some of these issues won’t be resolved before Australia, and we’ll have to deal with them in the first three or four races.”
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Fernando Alonso shares what he finds ‘fascinating’ about working with Adrian Newey
Aston Martin’s 2026 project is certainly an exciting one, even if they are not quite up to scratch heading into testing in Bahrain. Newey’s arrival has had a huge impact on the team as he looks to build them back towards the front.
Speaking to Sky Sports at the launch event, Alonso is excited to work with the legendary designer, as he described how Newey can already find solutions to his problems.
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“I think he’s different. He’s an incredible designer and I think a very different way of working in a team,” said the Spaniard.
“In a year of computers and simulations and things like that, I think Adrian still talks to the driver, gives feedback with the problems that you are having and he can have the full picture of the problem and probably the solution already in mind.
“So that’s fascinating in a way to speak with him and to learn from him and I’m looking forward to this year for sure.”
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