Villeneuve makes painful Aston Martin prediction despite huge Newey arrival

Former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve has predicted Aston Martin will be this year's "biggest disappointment", despite the significant arrival of Adrian Newey. 

The former Red Bull chief technical officer will officially join the Silverstone-based outfit on March 3, with the main focus on the team's car for the new power unit regulations in 2026. 

Team owner Lawrence Stroll has invested heavily in Aston Martin to make it a championship contender, incorporating the build of an extraordinary new factory and wind tunnel.

Ahead of the upcoming campaign, Andy Cowell has also replaced Mike Krack as team principal after the latter was moved to a new role as chief trackside officer.  

Another personnel change is the addition of Gary Gannon, who has joined from Haas as Aston Martin's new senior race engineer. 

All the ingredients appear to be in place for Aston Martin to make a significant step in the right direction. Villeneuve, however, has insisted that "time" will be required. 

The 1997 champion believes many are expecting a great deal from the team due to Newey's upcoming arrival, leading to mass disappointment when big results are not achieved. 

Aston Martin is a team building towards 2026 and even beyond that, with Villeneuve noting that despite Newey's genius, he will not turn things around immediately. 

 "I would say Aston Martin will be the biggest disappointment of 2025, not because they will do a bad job but because people are expecting them to start winning with Adrian Newey there," Villeneuve told The Action Network. 

"But, he hasn't had time yet to affect the team. The expectations from outsiders and fans will be misplaced.

"It will be disappointing, not because of bad results but because they won't be what people are wanting and hoping to see with Newey there. It takes time."