Aston Martin fears ESCALATE ahead of Newey arrival

One of Aston Martin's star drivers has opened up on his concerns ahead of Adrian Newey's arrival at the team next season.

Formula 1 legend Newey will join the British outfit in early 2025, having recently signed a lucrative multi-year contract.

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The former Red Bull design guru shocked the world of motorsport earlier this season, announcing that he would be resigning from his position as chief technical officer at the defending constructors' champions.

It signalled the end of what had been a highly successive relationship, which delivered a total of 13 world titles.

Speculation over where the 65-year-old's future lay dominated much of the headlines in the months following his announcement, with Ferrari strongly touted as a likely destination before Aston Martin swooped in to secure a deal.

'It's not good enough'

The hope is that by signing the man widely considered to be the greatest designer in the sport's history, they will have a realistic chance to challenge the top teams for championships in the coming years.

That prospect looks a long way off at the moment, however, with the team languishing fifth in the constructors' standings following a miserable campaign in 2024.

Lance Stroll - whose father Lawrence owns the team - has amassed just 24 points so far, and while two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has performed slightly better, is still a long way off the pace of his main rivals.

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Speaking to Autosport, the Spaniard urged the team to put their efforts into delivering an improvement in performance now, rather than waiting for the arrival of Newey to address their issues.

"I think 2026 is in our heads, for everyone at Aston, and the biggest hope with Adrian coming, Enrico [Cardile] and some other names," he said.

"This is going to be great, and the future looks bright, but 2025 is... we need to shake things a little bit.

"I mean, it's not good enough what we are doing right now, and 2025 we need to change the pace."

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