Speculations about issues with the wind tunnel at Aston Martin.

      "Newey has concepts for enhancement"

      Despite significant investments in the factory, Adrian Newey’s involvement and speculation regarding Max Verstappen have led many to consider Aston Martin as "the last team" on the grid. This statement came from two-time champion Fernando Alonso during the Saudi Arabia GP weekend, where he expressed feelings of fatigue after finishing the race with no points in 2025. "Completing 50 laps in qualifying takes a toll on you," the visibly tired 43-year-old shared with Spanish media.

      Even though Newey has been working at the drawing board for nearly two months, it appears the Silverstone-based team will make minimal improvements to their underperforming green car. "The car essentially lacks any strengths," remarked Lance Stroll, who on Saturday set a record for the most failures in a single career while attempting to advance from the Q1 qualifying stage. "If you put the McLaren drivers in Sauber for a decade, they’d likely achieve the same record," added the son of billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll.

      Regarding Alonso, he believes that 2025 might join his debut year with Minardi in 2001 as the only other occasion he’s finished a season without scoring any points. "But we’re limited in our actions since the rules are changing next year, and we have excellent personnel in the team working on the 2026 car. The team is gearing up for that," he stated. "If the rules were consistent next year, it would be more difficult to accept."

      However, there are emerging concerns that Aston Martin’s new wind tunnel is yielding results that don’t match the data from the previous one. When asked in Saudi Arabia about why the 2025 car appears to perform even worse than the similar 2024 model, new team principal Andy Cowell cited correlation issues. "Last year, we struggled to distinguish between what the wind tunnel and our tools indicated would enhance the car’s speed and what genuinely did," he stated in an interview with the Spanish newspaper AS. "When you encounter these discrepancies while your competitors are improving their cars, you fall behind. We possess a new factory and excellent tools, but we must optimize their usage for better accuracy."

      As for the team's apparent lack of focus on 2025, Cowell elaborated: "With 20 races remaining this year and five years until the next regulation change (after 2026), we are directing our investment toward the new rules, with our aerodynamic development priorities centered on 2026. We could fully commit to '25, make some advances, but that would leave us at a disadvantage in 2026, which would likely continue into 2027, 2028, and 2029. We’ve had internal discussions with Lawrence and Adrian regarding our current position and necessary actions.”

      "CFD and wind tunnel testing have limitations, and decisions must rely on the data. We can’t just react impulsively and alter our beliefs," Cowell added. Recently, Alonso expressed disappointment that Newey has yet to present any "big ideas" for swiftly enhancing the 2025 car. Cowell clarified: "Ninety percent of a car’s creation occurs in the factory, and that’s where we want Adrian.

      "Anyone who passes his office notices that he’s continuously sketching on his board. He doesn’t attend meetings, doesn’t respond to emails, he’s solely focused on developing a fast car. And we all support that process."

      Regarding any challenges in setting up the new facilities, Cowell also remarked to the Spanish broadcaster DAZN: "Adrian is very appreciative of the campus and has a positive outlook on the wind tunnel and its overall setup. He's advocating for enhancements in our operational procedures within the tunnel, CFD, and simulations. For nearly everything, Adrian has suggestions for improvement."