Fernando Alonso: Newey's appointment is good news
On the eve of the Qatar Grand Prix Aston Martin underwent an unexpected reshuffle – in 2026 Adrian Newey will become the team's new team principal. On Thursday at the Losail circuit the team's driver Fernando Alonso commented on the appointment of the renowned engineer.
When asked whether he had discussed with Newey the possibility of Adrian becoming team principal, Fernando said: "Not really. We talked more about technical issues related to the car rather than future plans.
But it's good news. Adrian has been leading the car's technical development and the team, and has been responsible for the areas we needed to strengthen. So he was already handling much of the management inside the team, whereas Andy Cowell was more responsible for the engine and its integration with the chassis.
It's probably a logical step with 2026 in mind. We have two of the best specialists in their fields – one is responsible for the chassis, the other for engine integration. And we have a very strong leader in Lawrence Stroll. So with those three of them we're in good hands.
Adrian only has one style – results-focused. It's not that we're not striving for results now; it's just that everything will become more extreme.
We mustn't forget that our team is, by nature, still very young. Over the past two or three years we've grown a lot, hiring many new people. All these young and energetic people need Adrian's leadership and that of our other great leaders to teach them how to succeed in Formula 1.
We have the two most successful specialists in the sport: Andy Cowell and Adrian Newey."
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Fernando Alonso: Newey's appointment is good news
On the eve of the Qatar Grand Prix, unexpected changes took place at Aston Martin – in 2026 Adrian Newey will become the team's new team principal. On Thursday at the Losail circuit, the team's driver, Fernando Alonso, commented on the appointment of the renowned engineer.