Adrian Newey is set to join forces with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin after leaving Red Bull and snubbing a link-up with Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari
Adrian Newey believes soon-to-be colleague Fernando Alonso is a “truly great driver”.
Newey, 65, will get to work with two-time world champion Alonso from next year after reportedly putting pen to paper on an Aston Martin contract. It means he won’t be joining forces with Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, as both had previously desired.
But the engineering expect has also made no secret of his wish to work with Alonso too. When it was rumoured he could join Red Bull in 2019, Newey told Spanish magazine Esquire: “Working with him would have been fantastic.
“He seems to have had bad luck with some choices he has made, but whenever we have spoken with him, he has been very kind. Fernando’s ability often exceeds the car in his hands. I think that’s the mark of a truly great driver – the ability to stand out despite not having a great car.”
In a more recent interview on F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast last year, Newey confessed that Alonso and Hamilton were two drivers he would have liked to work with before retiring after being asked if he regretted not having Ferrari on his CV.
He answered: “Emotionally, I guess, to a point, yes. But just as, for instance, working with Fernando and Lewis would have been fabulous. But it never happened. It’s just circumstance sometimes, that’s the way it is.”
Newey clearly holds Alonso in high regard (
Getty Images)
It looks like his Hamilton regret will be here to stay, but he’s got his other option in Alonso. Newey has inked a five-year deal with Aston, bagging an annual salary that could be as high as £30million, according to the BBC.
It appears to be a perfect pairing, with Newey known for favouring drivers who can extract the maximum performance from his car designs – the exact trait he praised Alonso for. Team owner Lawrence Stroll is banking on this partnership to propel the team to new heights.
There are also rumours Stroll might splash the cash again to sign Max Verstappen, who’s contracted with Red Bull until 2028 but has only verbally committed to them for another year. Both of Aston’s current drivers, Alonso and Stroll’s son Lance, are locked in until the end of 2026.
