Alonso, an engineer at the service of Newey in the development of the Aston Martin AMR26
Fernando Alonso has been 100% involved in the development of the 2026 single-seater, the first designed by Adrian Newey for Aston Martin, which will welcome the new regulations. These are his reasons for acting as an 'engineer' in the team.
The 2025 season is not over yet, and there are still many things to be decided. However, practically all teams are already focused 100% on the coming year. The reason is that the new regulations that will come into effect will completely reset the competition, both technically and hierarchically.
Aston Martin is one of the teams with the highest hopes for the 2026 championship, as it should mark the beginning of its glorious era: the one it has been preparing for years and for which it has invested so much money and resources.
It will also be the first time a single-seater designed by Adrian Newey will carry the colors of Aston Martin. And for Fernando Alonso, it is the opportunity he has been waiting for so many years to drive a machine from the most decorated designer in history.
«Maybe it's something we can explore more deeply and try to improve the idea that our designers originally had»
Alonso, an engineer at Aston Martin
For now, neither Fernando Alonso nor Lance Stroll can drive the car beyond the simulator. But that doesn't mean the driver has no influence or can't be valuable. Something the Asturian knows well and for which he has wanted to get involved to, in a way, become an 'engineer' at the service of Adrian Newey.
«Newey asks questions that concern him in search of the driver's perspective, with this type of car, this type of downforce, the top speeds we expect to reach, or the moment to cut the battery in the middle of the straights», begins explaining the two-time world champion. «There will be a different dynamic when approaching corners because the car will behave differently, it will be lighter and with different tires».
Newey is known for wanting to have all variables controlled. And, in that sense, the driver is essential for his work. «He tries to anticipate the future and thinks about the speed at which you will arrive at a corner in Barcelona and what you would like the car to do, more front end, more rear end, more braking power».
«He asks all these questions because he is already visualizing the part of the car he wants to change to make you more comfortable», adds Fernando Alonso, who is enjoying the process a lot.
From the simulator to the track
January will mark the end of the simulation phase to begin the development of the new car on the circuit. While that happens, Fernando Alonso is absorbing all the information to be able to use it for his own benefit and that of the engineers when the moment of truth arrives.
«So far we have been driving the new car in the simulator and attending some meetings and discussions about the rules and how they will affect driving», explains Alonso. «Topics like available energy, active aerodynamics».
«All these are things everyone is familiar with, but for now, they are just words, graphics, and numbers on a screen. All that information will eventually become reality when the car is alive and when we drive it for the first time», continues the Asturian.
«Everything the team has been discussing and developing has its roots in the data, it is in their language, they have been talking about graphics and numbers. But when we get in the car, we only have feelings, so these months are really important to try to ensure the team understands what we need, he continues, aware that it can make a difference.
When asked if the driver can feel things that are not in the data, Fernando Alonso is categorical: «Absolutely. That's why it's so crucial for us, as drivers, to be informed about how the car is developing and what ideas or philosophies we are adopting in its development at this moment».
«For example, when we get in the car and brake at turn 1 [in the first test] in Barcelona», states the veteran 44-year-old driver, «and feel something strange or unexpected when entering the corner or when exiting as we apply the throttle, we can remember what the reason might be for the car behaving that way.
«And we can communicate that to the team, because maybe it's something we can explore more deeply and try to improve the idea that our designers originally had, concludes Fernando Alonso.
The two-time world champion knows that his last chance to win races and, perhaps, the world title is approaching. And, true to his style, he will not spare any effort to try to make it happen.
Fotos: Aston Martin F1
