Aston Martin Chief Reveals Astonishing Fernando Alonso Offer During Adrian Newey Hiring

Saajan Jogia | Sep 12, 2024

Jun 18, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso (ESP) sows pride after receiving his second place trophy of the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack shared the excitement surrounding the arrival of Adrian Newey as the new managing technical partner. Fernando Alonso was reportedly so keen on Newey's onboarding that he was willing to sacrifice a portion of his salary to make it happen. This move signifies not just a new chapter for Aston Martin in F1, but also a pivotal moment in the team's evolution.

Newey announced his exit from Red Bull in May this year, marking the end of an 18-year association. Formula 1's legendary designer is responsible for developing the sport's most potent title contender in the ground effect era that helped Red Bull secure 21 race victories out of the 22 races in 2023, the RB19.

For months following his exit announcement, rumors swirled around a potential move to Ferrari, Alpine, Williams, McLaren, or Aston Martin. However, his visit to Aston Martin's state-of-the-art facility in June was the big clue, with Mike Krack later referring to it as a "badly kept secret."

Newey's Aston Martin onboarding will see him take over the new role in March 2025, an event that was highly anticipated by the team. Speaking ahead of the Azerbaijan GP weekend, Krack told the media:

"It's very exciting for all of us. I'm still smiling. Do you see me smiling?

"It was difficult to stop smiling. I think it's fantastic news for us as a team. The enthusiasm is enormous. It was a very badly kept secret. But when the news was communicated internally, it was just mega to see 800 people cheering. Then when Adrian came on the stage, it was even more so. That was really nice, very impressive."

Alonso, who has committed to a long-term future with Lawrence Stroll's team, is keen to elevate the car's performance after a lackluster 2024 season thus far, in which he has struggled to finish in the points. His excitement to work with Newey is mutual, especially given the 65-year-old's earlier admission of his long-standing desire to collaborate with either Lewis Hamilton or Alonso.

"I think it is clear Fernando has a long future in this team. He was all excited about it on Tuesday also when we had the discussions. He was even saying that he will pay his wages to pay Adrian. There was a talk about 10%, 20%. So I will find out later today how much it really is," Krack joked.

"You can really see the huge respect that these two people have for each other. I think they want to achieve something. For Adrian, he always wanted to work with someone like Fernando and vice versa. So I think we have to try to get everything in place and also facilitate a good collaboration between these two. We know that he comes to races and that is something again, we need to facilitate and try to learn as much as we can from it. Being open and flexible."