Alonso urges Aston Martin shake-up despite Newey arrival

Fernando Alonso has urged Aston Martin to make changes for the 2025 F1 season despite the upcoming arrival of Adrian Newey. 

Newey will join the Silverstone-based team on March 1 next year, leading the development of Aston Martin's car for the new power unit regulations in 2026 when the team will become a Honda works outfit.

Two-time F1 champion Alonso, however, is still demanding changes for next season following the team's slump in performance which has resulted in it sliding into no man's land in the constructors' standings.

Aston Martin is fifth in the table, over 200 points adrift of fourth-placed Mercedes, and a comfortable 52 points clear of RB.

It is a shadow of the team which claimed eight podiums last season, alerting Alonso that the Silverstone-based outfit needs a boost for next year before Newey's arrival, albeit with his primary focus on 2026.

"I think 2026 is in our hands for everyone at Aston Martin," Alonso told media including RacingNews365. 

"The biggest hope with Adrian [Newey] coming, Enrico [Cardile], some of the names. So this is going to be great. 

"The future looks bright, but for 2025 we need to shake things a little bit. I mean, it's not good enough what we are doing right now. 2025 we need to change."

Upgrades to improve 2025

Alonso's concerns about next season do appear to have been heard, with Aston Martin working on upgrades to shift towards 2025. 

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack confirmed that the British team started looking towards next season two weeks before the current break ahead of the United States Grand Prix. 

The outfit has identified several problems with the AMR24 which are being addressed, to improve its position next year. 

"There is a couple of problems with the current car, and I think, up and down the pit lane, it will be the same," Krack told select media including RacingNews365. 

"We try to improve the load, the downforce and the balance, and then, in which order, I think that it also depends on the kind of corners, and what kind of circuits. 

"You have circuits like Singapore or like Baku, where you have just short corners. Or like Monza with the last corner that is never stopping, it's more critical. So we have to improve both, because both are not good enough."