Is Newey’s influence bigger than just the car? Alonso reveals the designer’s role!

Newey's role at Aston Martin as Managing Tehnical Partner, suggests his functions to be limited to the - at the risk of redundancy - technical aspect of the ongoings withing the British racing green coloured team's ranks.

However, Fernando Alonso reveals this could not be farther from the truth. In the lunches he's shared with the acclaimed F1 designer, the Spaniard has had a glimpse of the vast knowledge Newey carries within himself.

“We had a couple of lunches together. Generally [focused on] things about the team, about the simulator, how to make things a little bit more realistic," Alonso said to media including GPblog.

Having won numerous titles at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull Racing, Newey stands as the winningest F1 designer the sport has ever seen.

It is this experience Alonso sees shaping the current Aston Martin flock into a championship contending team.

The Spaniard believes that thinking of the British F1 designing guru as a 'mere' aerodynamicist is a rather reductionist view of things.

“It's not only the aerodynamics. When we think about Adrian, it is all aero performance; I think Adrian has a much wider view of how the team should operate, so we all learn from him every time that we speak with him,” Alonso concluded.

After finishing P9 at Aston Martin's home race at Silverstone, the double-time world champion was critical of his team's strategic calls.

He also reassured those who would hear him that the idea that the driver was the sole responsible for winning under the tough conditions the F1 grid experienced during the British Grand Prix was bullsh*t.