Fernando Alonso Addresses Adrian Newey Rumors - 'Not Only One Man’s Job To Fix Things'

Saajan Jogia | Sep 2, 2024

May 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Aston Matrin driver Fernando Alonso (14) speaks to the media in advance of the F1 Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has addressed rumors of Adrian Newey potentially joining the team, emphasizing that the challenges with the AMR24 F1 car cannot be resolved by the arrival of a single individual, even one as renowned as Newey.

Since Red Bull's chief technical officer announced his exit in May, due for 2025, rumors have been linking him to Aston Martin, Ferrari, McLaren, Alpine, and Williams. Among them, the Silverstone outfit seems to be the option that carries the most weight- courtesy of the aero guru's attendance at Aston Martin's new facility at Silverstone in June.

With the kind of challenges being faced by Lawrence Stroll's outfit, Alonso reckons it could take more than Newey's hiring to rectify the shortcomings of the car. Speaking to the media after the Italian Grand Prix, where the Spaniard secured P11, he said:

“Well, there’s still only rumors, and I think it’s not only one man’s job to fix things.

“It’s more what we have now and what we are producing. Understanding what is going in the right direction, what is going in the wrong direction, and try to prepare 2025 in a better way.”

Alonso admitted that there was nothing much he could do at this stage since the team required time to analyze and overcome the challenges. While nothing concrete can be expected from the 2025 season either, he emphasized that 2026 was the team's main target, when the Formula 1 grid resets due to a new era of regulations. The 43-year-old driver explained:

“Nothing we can do.

“I mean, we are in our team’s hands, and I think Lance and myself, we’re trying to do the best we can every weekend.

“One inspired weekend, like this one from my side, I know it’s going to be completely anonymous.

“This year we’ve been Lance and myself very close, two or three seconds away at the end of the race is always in front or behind. And today was one of those weekends that I was a little bit better, and I was happy with the car and pushing to the level that maybe was beyond 100%, and that was P11.

“So yeah, disappointed. We need to be patient. We need to understand that the big target is 2026.

“But at the same time, I think as a team, we could accept not being in the top four battle. They are top teams and they are well in front of us.

“But now to be behind Williams, behind Haas, behind RB, I think we need to raise the bar a little bit. We need to get better.”

Speaking on the 2025 car, Alonso expressed that there was still time for the team to make improvements. However, he acknowledged that until Aston Martin introduced effective upgrades for the AMR24, the drivers would likely continue to finish outside the points. He added:

“I think we still have time to react.

“McLaren improved in four months from last to podium. So we have clear examples.

“Also, Mercedes started the same as us. We were level with Mercedes for the first four races, and they won three races already this year. So I’m not a fan of excuses.

“I think until we have an upgrade on the car, this is what it is, and this is not good enough.

“Not good enough in Monza. Not good in Zandvoort, in Spa, in Hungary.

“So I don’t think there’s going to be a big change in Baku or Singapore or Austin unless we bring new parts.

“That’s the plan. The team is aware of the situation. The team is working flat out. So yeah, we keep united. We keep pushing. Last weekend was one point. Today was close to two points, and that will be our battle.”