Alonso rules out F1 2025 championship bid as Adrian Newey arrival impact assessed

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso.
Fernando Alonso believes the expectation surrounding Aston Martin is normal, as his squad is now a “team to watch”.
Aston Martin heads into the F1 2025 season with a very different complexion this year, with new team boss Andy Cowell leading a revised management structure and several prominent new hires.
Fernando Alonso rules out major jump in F1 2025
But the impact of all the changes will take some time to make themselves felt, believes Fernando Alonso, who is hopeful the team will eventually get to the point he can dream about adding to his two existing Drivers’ World Championship titles.
Aston Martin, under team owner Lawrence Stroll, has been bolstered by major facility upgrades at its Silverstone base, propelling the team to perhaps the most cutting-edge on the grid.
On top of that, Cowell – Mercedes’ High-Performance Powertrains’ former managing director – has succeeded Mike Krack as team boss following his 100-day review of things after taking on the CEO role towards the end of 2024.
Cowell will oversee new signings Enrico Cardile, as chief technical officer, and Bob Bell as executive director of technical this season, while Adrian Newey begins work on March 3rd after departing Red Bull’s F1 team in May 2024.
Such big names will take time to make an impact on the team’s performance, which won’t happen this year, Alonso believes, but the regulation changes next season mark a major opportunity as F1 introduces new power units and chassis rules.
“Not for 2025 for sure,” Alonso told Spain’s DAZN, “because the cars are going to be the same as this year and it’s going to be practically impossible for us to make such a big jump.
“Hopefully, it will be better than 2024, but not to win the championship.
“Then, in 2026 there will be a change of regulations and we will have Adrian Newey working on the project from this April (sic).
“We have to hope to have a good year, but winning the championship is a big deal. Even so, I know the expectations are going to be high when we are in the 2026 pre-season or at the presentation of the car’.”
Aston Martin is seeking to bounce back from an underwhelming 2024, in which the team nonetheless secured the same fifth-place finish in the championship it secured the previous year with far stronger results.
More on Fernando Alonso in Formula 1
? Ranking Fernando Alonso’s F1 career moves from worst to best
? From ‘GP2 engine’ to ‘karma’ – 10 of our favourite Fernando Alonso team radio messages
With the pieces of the puzzle coming together for 2026, particularly with Newey overseeing the technical progress of the team for the AMR26, Alonso said any move Newey makes heightens expectations on that team.
“2026, new regulations, Adrian Newey, Fernando Alonso? A year together,” he said.
“The questions you are going to ask me, I know what they are going to be: if we can dream of the championship.
“I would also ask them if I were at home and Adrian Newey went to another team… to say one, to Williams. If I’m a journalist or, if I’m not a journalist, I’m at home watching TV, Williams would be a team to watch, so it’s normal that Aston Martin would be a team to watch, so it’s normal that Aston Martin would be a team to watch. We’re all excited.”
A major deciding factor could be in Aston Martin’s switch to Honda power – the Japanese manufacturer returns to F1 as a full-fledged effort next season, with the Silverstone-based squad securing Honda on an exclusive deal. Should Honda get it right, Aston Martin could be the team to beat from the get-go. Should Honda get it wrong, then the impact of the likes of Newey and Cardile will be greatly diminished.
With such uncertainty hanging over the team, Alonso said competitiveness is all he hopes for.
“All these statistics in motorsport with how much has changed over the years and decades, it’s difficult to implement,” he said.
“The cars used to be different. Drivers started racing when they were 35 or 40 years old and raced until they were 50. Hopefully, I can enjoy more podiums, some wins, and fight for a championship… But I know that 2026 is a year that is a bit of a coin toss for everyone and hopefully, it will come up heads… but we don’t know.”
Read Next: Valtteri Bottas confirms rival F1 team talks before Audi contract left unsigned