Fernando Alonso told what to expect from Adrian Newey with ‘survival’ warning issued

Fernando Alonso must “survive” for long enough at Aston Martin to be presented with a winning F1 car by Adrian Newey.

That is the claim of Jacques Villeneuve, the F1 1997 World Champion, who believes Alonso‘s ability to help the team grow will be “key” to his hopes of securing a landmark third World Championship in the next few years.

Fernando Alonso needs to ‘survive’ to feel true Adrian Newey, Aston Martin impact

Aston Martin announced the signing of Newey last month in a major milestone in the team’s efforts to emerge as a title-contending force.

Newey, who has been appointed to the newly created role of managing technical partner, stands as the most decorated individual in the sport’s history, having contributed to more than 200 F1 race wins and a combined total of 25 Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships.

The 65-year-old will officially start work with Aston Martin next year following his departure from Red Bull, where he masterminded the team’s historic success with the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Will Adrian Newey propel Fernando Alonso to F1 title glory?

? Fernando Alonso car collection: $3.5m Adrian Newey design among his amazing cars

? Revealed: Fernando Alonso’s secret weapon in battles with F1 rivals

Newey’s impeding arrival has offered renewed hope that Alonso could still challenge for a third title two decades after his last in 2006, with Aston Martin aiming to make major progress under the new F1 2026 regulations.

That season will see the Silverstone-based team outfit enter a technical partnership with Honda, the current engine supplier of reigning World Champions Red Bull.

Alonso announced earlier this year that he will remain with Aston Martin until at least the end of the F1 2026 campaign, by which time he will be 45.

And Villeneuve, who had a brief spell as Alonso’s team-mate at Renault in 2004, believes his challenge is to stick around long enough for Newey’s impact at Aston Martin to bear fruit.

This, Villeneuve believes, will be achieved by Alonso helping his team-mate Lance Stroll, the son of Aston Martin owner Lawrence, to develop, as well as overseeing the growth of the team, rather than making Newey’s arrival all about fulfilling his personal ambitions.

He told Spanish publication Marca: “If anything, next year’s car will not be an Adrian Newey car.

“The key for Fernando now is to survive long enough to get a winning car. You don’t do that by beating Stroll at a second a lap.

“Part of Fernando’s job there is to help Lance improve, to help the team get to that point, not for Fernando to be champion, but for Aston Martin to be champion.

“That’s why Newey is joining the team.”

Villeneuve went on to suggest that Alonso will thrive in Newey’s cars, with the narrow window of performance only exploited by the most gifted drivers like Verstappen, who has established a clear advantage over his Red Bull team-mates over recent years.

He said: “From my experience, Adrian Newey has always made cars that are very precise to drive.

“They’ve always had a narrow window of preparation, but they had super performance if you could take advantage of that window.

“It’s not a car for everybody. He makes cars for exceptional drivers and exceptional drivers will make a big difference in those cars; the regular driver will suffer.”

Newey’s decision to reunite with Honda at Aston Martin has fuelled speculation that Verstappen could also be tempted to make the move to Silverstone.

Despite being under contract until the end of the 2028 season, Red Bull’s waning form across F1 2024, and the tension between his father Jos and Red Bull boss Christian Horner, have fuelled suggestions that Verstappen could leave at the end of next year.

Although Mercedes have been heavily linked with a move for Verstappen, Aston Martin have been linked with hijacking the move.

Reports in August claimed that Aston Martin are “sparing no expense” in their efforts to lure Verstappen away from Red Bull, with team principal Mike Krack declaring at last month’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix that “the door for Max Verstappen is always open.”

Verstappen teased that he would be open to a move to Aston Martin in the future, responding: “I have other worries at the moment, that I’m paying a lot of attention to, that I’m working on.

“So that is something maybe for the future that I think about, but not now.”

Read next: Christian Horner told ‘it’s time’ at Red Bull with clear Adrian Newey mission set