Fernando Alonso has admitted that understanding the brilliance of Adrian Newey is not an easy task. The Spanish driver joked: “You need to use your full mental capacity,” when trying to follow some of the legendary designer’s explanations, while Newey himself seems to operate at only “five percent” of his own brainpower in those moments.
The partnership between Fernando Alonso and Adrian Newey could prove decisive for Aston Martin, as the British team prepares for the major regulatory overhaul arriving in Formula 1 in 2026. The new rules will bring sweeping changes to chassis design, aerodynamics, and power units, and Aston Martin will rely heavily on Newey’s unmatched expertise. Over his career, the British engineer has designed cars that secured no fewer than 26 world titles, combining drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
For Fernando Alonso, the challenge carries additional weight. Now in pursuit of his third Formula 1 World Championship, twenty years after his last triumph, the Spanish driver is hoping that Aston Martin’s new project with Newey can finally deliver him another shot at glory.
In an interview released by Aston Martin, Alonso was asked about working with Newey and how the collaboration is shaping up. His words reflected both admiration and humor.
The words of Fernando Alonso: “He wants to know our understanding of things”
“He is an incredible person, the best designer in the history of our sport, and everyone in the team is learning a lot from him,” Fernando Alonso said. “With everything Adrian does, you try to understand why he does it, why he chose that direction, or why he responds in a certain way, because there is always something to learn from him.”
“Even from a simple answer to a question: for him it may be crystal clear, but why is it not the same for everyone else? There are moments when, in order to really understand him, you need to use all of your brain capacity. Even if Adrian is only using five percent, for us, for normal people, it takes much more,” Alonso added with a laugh.
Alonso went on to explain that so far their meetings have been quite informal. “For now our meetings have been very general, focused on the regulations. We haven’t yet gone into the deepest details. Of course, he is curious to know our feelings and our understanding of things. Maybe he is heading in a certain direction and wants to explain how that could influence the way we drive the car, and he asks if we have had similar experiences in the past, things like that.”
“At the moment, though, he is very concentrated. He is always in his room, at the drawing board, focused on delivering results. We will get into the details when the car reaches a more advanced stage of development,” the Spaniard concluded.
The alliance between Fernando Alonso and Adrian Newey is already one of the most intriguing storylines looking ahead to Formula 1’s 2026 season. With Newey’s proven ability to revolutionize car design and Alonso’s determination to compete at the highest level, Aston Martin may be on the verge of building a truly winning combination.
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