Karun Chandhok: “Wouldn’t it be incredible to see Alonso as champion with a Newey-designed car?”. Karun Chandhok believes in a world title for Fernando Alonso at 44 or 45 years old.

Eyes on 2026

The countdown to the start of the first preseason tests has begun, as has the one leading up to the 2025 World Championship. It will be an exciting season in many ways and unique in a sense: teams will have to focus not only on the present but also on the future, particularly on 2026, which will see the introduction of a new technical regulation.

The year of Aston Martin?

The 2026 season could mark Aston Martin’s leap in quality. Next year, the team is expected to unveil its first car fully developed under the guidance of aerodynamics genius Adrian Newey. This, combined with potential improvements from the arrival of other top-level engineers and significant investments from Lawrence Stroll—who is determined to bring the British team to the top of Formula 1—could make Aston Martin a real contender. A goal that Fernando Alonso also shares, as he remains determined to return to the top step of the podium and claim his third world title.

Karun Chandhok imagines

It’s a feat Alonso aims to achieve despite being 43 years old. Believing in this goal, which would place Fernando Alonso back at the pinnacle of F1 two decades after his last championship win, is not just the Spaniard himself but also former F1 driver Karun Chandhok: “Wouldn’t it be incredible to see Fernando Alonso win the World Championship at 44 or 45 years old with an Adrian Newey car? What a story that would be!”

The memory of 2007

A dream scenario for the 41-year-old Indian, who sees parallels between Aston Martin today and Red Bull in 2007, when Newey joined a then-midfield team in Milton Keynes. “I think it’s important to highlight that a major regulatory change is coming,” he told Evo India. “The new rules will arrive in 2026, and that presents opportunities. If you remember, when Adrian Newey joined Red Bull, it was a mid-level team, but he focused on 2009. That year saw a regulation change. He was involved in 2007 and 2008, but the main goal was 2009. During those years, they built the structure for 2009, and although they were initially hampered by Brawn’s double diffuser loophole, they had the best car in the second half of the season. Then, from 2010 to 2013, they won all four titles. Similarly, they have a chance in 2026 if they spend 2025 building the structure and growing as a team. With the 2026 regulations, we could witness a rapid shift in the competitive order.” – he concluded.