Alonso knows what Adrian Newey 'is capable of': 'We've been talking for many years'

Lawrence Stroll's F1 project, the Aston Martin team, is developing into an outfit that for good measure should soon become a championship-fighting team, and the addition of designer guru, Adrian Newey, is a key element in that surge of ambition, and Fernando Alonso knows why.

With Newey joining Aston Martin at the beginning of the month, Alonso was asked regarding any talks the double world champion may have had with the British designer already. "We didn't speak really into the details and we've been obviously very busy from Bahrain test to then Australia and then straight to here [in China]," says Alonso in the FIA Drivers' press conference ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.

"When we go back to the factory, hopefully we have a little bit more time. I only know that he's really motivated and really into, everything that is coming for 2026, but also looking at what we do every weekend," said the Spaniard clarifying that Newey's work is focused on 2026, when the engine and chassis rules will undergo a much expected overhaul. "So, I'm looking forward [to seeing his work], definitely."

Alonso then revealed that his contact with Newey goes back a bit further than the start of the designer guru's tenure at Aston Martin. "But I know his thinking and I know his approach for the last years that we've been talking, for many, many years. We've been together last year even in the Monaco Grand Prix, [the] historic Grand Prix. We had lunch together. I know what he's thinking, I know what he's capable of, so I'm looking forward [to his input]," concluded the Aston Martin driver.