The last twelve months have been painful for Aston Martin. Their recent P7 and P8 finish at the British GP (one of their best finishes in recent events) was only possible after the team abandoned their latest upgrades and used older components. Despite this, there is reason for optimism at the Silverstone factory. Away from the track, negotiations with Adrian Newey are steadily advancing.
Steady decline at Aston Martin
Keeping up with Red Bull, Mercedes, and McLaren in the intense F1 development is no easy task. However, few teams have collapsed as dramatically as Aston Martin.
In fairness to the British team, they began the 2024 season in solid fashion.
After a disappointing weekend in Bahrain, they showed good pace at the hands of Fernando Alonso in Jeddah, China and Japan.
Whilst nowhere near capable of victories, the AMR24 was still capable of challenging McLaren and Mercedes.
Unfortunately for Mike Krack’s team, last season’s decline has spilt over into this year. This is largely due to the upgrades introduced in Imola, which failed to improve the car.
In an increasingly worrying trend for Aston Martin, their upgrades failed to unlock more performance.
Because of this, there has been growing pressure on Dan Fallows. Team owner Lawrence Stroll is, unsurprisingly, unhappy with the rapid decline at Silverstone. The Canadian is already making moves behind the scenes to rectify the situation.
Adrian Newey a realistic target for Aston Martin
One of the biggest news stories this year has been about Adrian Newey. The 65-year-old is no longer active in Red Bull’s F1-related operations and will be free to work for another team at the start of 2025.
Several teams have shown their interest in Newey. This is for a good reason, given that the British engineer is arguably the most successful figure in F1 history. His insights could be invaluable ahead of the 2026 regulations.
Red Bull’s early advantage with this current generation of cars is a testament to the impact that Adrian Newey can have.
Until recently, no clear favourite had emerged to sign him. However, the latest information suggests that Aston Martin have become the front-runners to sign Newey.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
When his Red Bull exit was announced, nobody was more strongly linked to the British engineer than Ferrari. Newey has spoken numerous times about regretting the absence of a Ferrari stint in his F1 career.
Moreover, around this time last year, the 65-year-old named Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso as two drivers he wished he’d worked with. On paper, all the stars were aligning for a move to Maranello.
Despite this, the emerging consensus is that negotiations with Fred Vasseur’s team have reached a standstill.
It is understood that Aston Martin have become Adrian Newey’s most likely destination, following extensive talks.
Newey visited the team’s factory a few weeks ago, although Lawrence Stroll first gauged his openness to a move at the beginning of 2024. Since then, contract talks have only become more advanced.
Of course, it will be at least a few months before anything becomes official. Whichever team the former Red Bull engineer joins, his arrival will not be made public for some time.
That said, Aston Martin can be optimistic about their chances. Investment into their ambitious project continues to grow, and whilst their upgrades scheduled for Hungary are not guaranteed to improve current results, there is no shortage of activity at the Silverstone-based operation.
