Alonso gives clear verdict on Newey’s new team boss role at Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso has labelled Adrian Newey’s appointment as Aston Martin team principal for 2026 a logical step for the new campaign.

The veteran Spaniard, who spoke to GPblog during the Qatar Grand Prix weekend, admitted he had never discussed a possible promotion with Newey, before stressing that it is a great development for the Aston Martin outfit.

“Not really. We were discussing more technical stuff about the car than anything else or future dreams. But it’s good news,” he stated.

“He was, anyway, managing the technical development of the car, but also the team, the people that were needed, and taking care of which areas we needed to reinforce as a team and which other areas were less important,” Alonso continued.

“In a way, he was already doing a lot of internal management, and Andy [Cowell] was doing a lot of management as well on the engine side and the engine integration to the chassis. It was maybe a normal, logical step into 2026,” the two-time world champion concluded.

Earlier, the Silverstone-based outfit announced that Newey would take over as its team principal for the 2026 campaign, succeeding Andy Cowell, who had served in a similar capacity for 14 months. The team, however, confirmed Cowell would continue with the team as chief strategy officer ahead of its first season partnering with Honda as its engine supplier.

Alonso also expressed optimism about the future of the Aston Martin outfit following the decision to appoint Newey as team principal. The 44-year-old stressed how the team has some of the best hands around to help achieve its objectives.

“We probably have the two best people, one doing the chassis and the team, the other handling the engine integration and the team as well, and we have a very strong leader with Lawrence [Stroll], with the determination he has and the commitment he has shown for many, many years already,” he said.

In his conversation with GPblog, Alonso also touched on what to expect with Newey’s leadership. The former two-time champion, however, stated he doesn’t expect many changes other than improved performance.

He continued: “I think with Adrian, there is only one style, which is performance. There is no other word. There is just the unlimited search for performance and perfection.

“We have the two most successful individuals ever in the sport, Andy Cowell and Adrian Newey," Alonso concluded.

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