Fernando Alonso has described getting hold of an Adrian Newey-designed F1 car for the first time in his career as a “very proud moment”, with the Honda-powered Aston Martin AMR26 being officially presented to the world.
Alonso, team mate Lance Stroll and Newey headed to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia on Monday for a special livery launch presentation live from Ithra (the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture), marking the start of Aston Martin’s 2026 campaign.
After an initial run-out at the Barcelona Shakedown, where he smiled that the legendary F1 designer “is always teaching us something”, two-time World Champion Alonso took a moment to reflect on what it means to team up with Newey.
“A very proud moment, for sure,” said Alonso, with Newey’s cars winning 14 Drivers’ and 12 Teams’ titles over the years. “I’ve been racing against Adrian for the whole of my career, and now, finally, I can drive one of his cars.
“I think [it’s] a huge challenge this year with the new set of regulations, and being a works team, having [power unit partner] Honda in our side, and [fuel partner] Aramco, with the challenge that the sustainable fuels have been for the 2026 regulations.
“So yeah, I’m very proud to be part of this family and this organisation, and I’m looking forward to succeeding together.”
With that aforementioned Honda partnership, and a new state-of-the-art headquarters at Silverstone, the Spaniard added: “I feel this is a very important moment for the team. It’s the very first time we are a works team, and we have all the new pieces coming together.
“I think it’s going to be [a] very interesting [year], because it’s a season that… I mean, it always matters where you start in Australia, but I feel the second part of the season is going to be even more important than the first half, if you understand your weakness in the car, if you identify early enough that you can work on those [issues].
“I think that’s why the Bahrain test and the first couple of races will dictate a little bit the path for the rest of the season, so we are very, very focused on development of the car. I think, as a driver, it gives you the feeling that you will play an important part through the season.”
Sitting alongside Alonso at the event, Stroll shared similar enthusiasm over what lies ahead – the Canadian having been part of the Aston Martin project since the manufacturer returned to F1 as a factory team in 2021.
Asked what excites him most, Stroll said: “All of it. I mean, just everything coming together. The new set of regulations, the collaboration with Honda, and yeah, driving an Adrian Newey-designed car is pretty exciting, for sure!
“When I think back to the team we were in 2021, and when you see everything that’s happened in Silverstone today, the transformation is incredible.
“The ambition we have as a team, we want to win… We want to fight for race wins and championships in the future. I think it’s just very exciting and motivating for everyone to be a part of that.”
Alonso and Stroll will be back behind the wheel of the AMR26 in Bahrain later this week, when the first of two official pre-season tests gets under way at the Sakhir venue.
/HD7ZsX-W8AAWxO-.webp?ssl=1 "Check out Racing Bulls’ special livery for the Japanese Grand Prix")
