Fernando Alonso shares first thoughts on Adrian Newey’s Aston Martin debut – F1 Spanish GP. Fernando Alonso shares his first impressions of Adrian Newey's arrival at Aston Martin .

Home hero Fernando Alonso arrives in Spain under heavy expectations. The driver is hoping for a good performance after his DNF in Monaco. It was in the Principality that we saw Adrian Newey’s first appearance in the Aston Martin garage: what impression did the Brit leave? Here’s what the Spanish driver had to say.

Acclaimed by the home crowd, the Spaniard comes into this weekend after a very difficult outing. In the second race of the triple-header, Fernando Alonso’s race ended early due to an engine issue.

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated case for the two-time world champion this season. Aston Martin appears to be in a transitional phase, with all eyes set on 2026—a season that promises to be a fresh start for the Silverstone-based team.

The reason? Adrian Newey’s arrival. Although the British genius officially began working with the team a few months ago, Monaco marked his first appearance in green teamwear.

The hope is that the former Red Bull designer can bring a confidence boost to Aston Martin, which currently seems unable to break free from its negative streak. As of now, the team sits eighth in the constructors’ standings, ahead of only Alpine and Sauber.

Much of Alonso’s future may depend on how successful the 2026 car turns out to be. The Spaniard, however, confirmed that his first impressions of Newey have been very positive.

“Yes, it was fantastic,” Fernando Alonso said to the media. “The way he observes everything, both on track and in meetings, is special. He’s not intimidating, but his presence raises the level of focus. Everyone knows they need to be careful with what they say because he understands everything. We hope he comes to more races next year—we can only learn from him.”

The Spaniard confirms the entirely positive impact of Adrian Newey on the team. The Brit also spoke about a correlation issue at Aston Martin between simulator data and what happens on track. In Spain, Fernando Alonso also responded to a question about this problem.

“All simulators have some issues. None are perfect,” he said. “Reality changes every corner, every session. It’ll take less than two years to improve it. Adrian mentioned it in Monaco, but we drivers have pointed it out many times.”