Fernando Alonso tempers expectations for Aston Martin: “In 2025, we certainly won’t be fighting for victory”. Fernando Alonso makes no bold declarations amid Aston Martin's 2025 F1 season.

Fernando Alonso awaits Adrian Newey
Fernando Alonso is counting down the days until Adrian Newey joins Aston Martin. The two-time F1 world champion will finally work closely with the English design genius, his long-time rival, starting March 2. However, despite hiring the most successful engineer in the sport’s history, the restructuring of the team’s hierarchy, and the arrival of Honda power units in 2026—engines that powered Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s recent triumphs— Fernando Alonso’s battle remains a race against time. Adrian Newey is not expected to have a significant impact on the 2025 car, and the 2026 car, by which time Fernando Alonso will turn 45, remains a technological unknown for all F1 manufacturers.

Expectations for 2025 and 2026
For this reason, Fernando Alonso is refraining from making bold predictions ahead of the new season. In fact, the Spaniard anticipates that performance in 2025 will resemble a 2024 campaign that has already been disappointing. “Victories? Certainly not in 2025,” Fernando Alonso said in an interview with *Dazn Spain* for the documentary *Decoded*, dedicated to him. “The cars will be more or less the same as last year’s, and it will be practically impossible for us to make such a big leap forward. Hopefully, it will be a better F1 season than the last, but we certainly won’t be fighting to win the championship. Then there will be significant regulation changes, and Adrian Newey will begin working with us on the 2026 project.” – the former McLaren and Ferrari driver pointed out.

The goal remains “Mission 33,” which is to return to victory—marking Fernando Alonso’s 33rd career win in F1—a milestone he hasn’t reached since the Spanish GP in 2013. “I hope to get back on the podium, to win races, and to fight for the title. But it’s also true that 2026 will be a year of mystery for everyone. We hope it will work in our favor, but at the moment, it’s simply impossible to know.” In other words, Adrian Newey alone may not be enough to turn Alonso’s team into a winning one in such a short time.