Adrian Newey will have a hand in Aston Martin's 2025 Formula 1 car development, despite Fernando Alonso's pessimism about the team's immediate chances of success.
Aston Martin enjoyed a strong start to the 2023 season, but in-season car development stagnated over the following 18 months, even as the team heavily invested in infrastructure.
"Certainly not in 2025," Alonso said recently in a DAZN special, downplaying the team's potential to compete for wins or titles. "The cars will be the same as last year, and it will be practically impossible for us to make such a big jump.
"Hopefully it will be better than in 2024, but we will not win the championship. There are changes coming in the regulations, and Adrian Newey will start working on the 2026 project from April."
However, Newey himself has clarified his new role, telling Auto Motor und Sport that he will also contribute to Aston Martin's 2025 car once he starts work in March.
"I will be focused on 2026," Newey said, "but Lawrence (Stroll) will definitely want me to be involved a bit with the 2025 car.
"Whether I can really contribute something this year or not, I have no idea until I start."
New team boss Andy Cowell, meanwhile, remains more optimistic than Alonso about the team's prospects.
"Can we win the world championship in 2025?" Cowell asked. "Who thinks we can? Nobody? Well, look what McLaren did. So why can't we?"
However, Newey has cautioned that teams may struggle to extract significant performance gains under the current ground-effect regulations in their final season before the 2026 overhaul.
Pointing out the small graps between the four top teams McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes, he explained: "It's a clear sign that we have come pretty close to the limit."
Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur echoed Newey's sentiment.
"There are no longer any upgrades that provide more than four or five points of usable downforce," he noted.
