Adrian Newey, Aston Martin guru, sets a date for the long-awaited improvements for Alonso: everything that will change
Aston Martin It is in a very complicated period when the hopes and expectations with the new era of Formula 1 were very high. The union of Adrian Newey and Fernando Alonso It was something that many people were looking forward to because they are both the best at what they do: one designing cars and the other driving. However, the blow of reality was tremendous and the British team has spent almost half a year where the objective is simply not to be the last on the Great Circus grid.
The outlook was so bleak with the Honda engine, which also failed to match the new power units, that the team decided not to invest a lot of money in improvements until the basic problems were solved. The idea was to introduce a whole huge package of updates at once and, finally, Adrian Newey reveals the details of what is to come. He is the great hope for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
“The plan is to introduce our improvements in Hungary on both cars. The main structural elements remain the same —The architecture of the chassis and gearbox does not change substantially—, but we have reduced the weight of both, which has required re-homologizing and crash testing the front part of the chassis,” Newey said in an interview for the official website
“The front suspension has not changed. The rear suspension has been revised slightly. We have developed a new nose and substantially revised the aerodynamic surfaces. So, although the basic structure is similar, it is an important aerodynamic package accompanied by a significant weight reduction. “The goal is to get very close to the weight limit.”
The big question is what is the objective that Aston Martin sets once all these improvements arrive. Clearly they will not be able to fight for victory and no one expects the biggest leap in quality in history. However, Newey is very optimistic about what is to come and thus quantifies what all the updates can mean.
“We anticipate great progress, but I am reluctant to give specific figures because our simulation tools are not yet so sophisticated. nor are they as well correlated as they should be,” Newey explained.
“Historically, this team has underinvested in engineering simulation tools—not just project management systems, but the fundamental physics tools themselves. We’re making that investment now, but you can’t rewrite and validate those tools overnight. Correlating them properly to the real car takes time. “At the moment, they’re getting better, but The real benefits of that work will be seen later this year“.
Looking already at 2027
Logically, getting something positive out of 2026 in terms of results turns out to be a chimera due to having such a disadvantage compared to the pursuers. Although it has been a fish biting its tail for a long time, hopes are once again pinned on next year. The basis of these improvements should mark the path for next season.
“We are in the early stages of the investigation. At this time, It’s about making the big architectural decisions: where to place the engine on the wheelbase, how to position the chassis, and the fundamental decisions that affect components with very long delivery times”
“We are studying front and rear suspension concepts, the shape of the gearbox… all aspects that greatly influence aerodynamics. A key objective is to launch the 2027 car into production much earlier in the process, so as not to put everyone under the same pressure as we have had this year.. “That should allow us to optimize weight, stiffness and details much more effectively,” he concluded.
