Alonso scoffs at reports Aston Martin is courting Newey

Fernando Alonso dismissed “rumours” Aston Martin is courting Red Bull’s star designer Adrian Newey.

The designer behind several of Formula 1’s most successful cars, including Red Bull’s machines which have dominated recent seasons, will be a free agent from the start of next year. He has been widely tipped to join Ferrari, who have made three attempts to sign him in the past, but reports this week claimed the 65-year-old had visited Aston Martin’s recently upgraded base at Silverstone.

However Alonso, who extended his contract to drive for Aston Martin earlier this year, is sceptical of the reports. “I read the rumours, I read the news,” he said in today’s FIA press conference.

“But is this coming from the same source and the same website of one week ago [saying] he was in Ferrari and [there would be] an announcement at 12 o’clock before the Canada race,” he added.

Aston Martin hired several key names from Red Bull’s technical division as owner Lawrence Stroll expanded its workforce. Its technical director Dan Fallows spent several seasons working with Newey before joining Aston Martin two years ago.

Newey has indicated he intends to join another team after leaving Red Bull. F1 will introduce new technical regulations in 2026, details of which were revealed by the FIA two weeks ago, and Newey’s departure from Red Bull will be ideally timed for him to influence his next team’s concept for the coming rules.

Aston Martin has not been able to replicate the strong start it enjoyed last season. The team is fifth in the championship, two places lower than at the same stage last year, with 117 fewer points.

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Although they enjoyed their strongest result of the season so far in Canada, Alonso has doubts over their performance this weekend.

“I think every race has been kind of a surprise, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad,” he said. “So we have to wait and see.

“Canada was one of the best weekends for us, a little bit unexpected after two bad ones in Imola and Monaco. So I think we have to wait and see the free practice.

“Let’s put it [this] way: I think that we prefer a wet Sunday at the moment because we are not totally sure about the performance in the dry.”

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