Fernando Alonso has now been with Aston Martin for almost two years and has witnessed both the highs and the lows. After their meteoric rise at the start of the 2023 season, the Silverstone-based team have slipped back massively. Even in 2024, the AMR24 has not been faster than the average midfield car. Yet, F1 presenter Lawrence Barretto feels that Alonso will stick to the team with a long-term future in mind.
Barretto began by acknowledging on a recent episode of the Nailing the Apex podcast that Alonso’s age will play a crucial role in this decision. The 43-year-old has limited time left in the sport and would be thinking of Aston Martin as a long-term option – even after his days as an F1 driver.
According to Barretto, Alonso‘s massive stature in the sport will allow him to get an ambassadorial role from the company as well as funding for any future racing ambitions. Moreover, with Adrian Newey and a new Wind Tunnel looking a part of Aston Martin’s future plans, the Spaniard will have some hope for the 2026 season when the regulations change.
Therefore, Barretto, said, “I think all his [Fernando Alonso] eggs are in the Aston Martin basket.” Alonso has made his intentions clear, however.
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) April 11, 2024
He does not want to race just for the sake of racing. Hence, if the team does not make some significant inroads towards the front of the field soon, he might rethink his options. However, with the team’s Wind Tunnel scheduled to be in operation from 2025, the #14 driver will be focusing now on bringing Aston Martin to the top.
Newey may not be enough for Aston Martin to witness an uptick in form
After Newey announced his exit from Red Bull, many reports were linking the Briton to Ferrari. However, reports now suggest that Lawrence Stroll is keen to sign the aerodynamic genius and is willing to shell upwards of $100,000,000 to make it happen.
While Barretto does not believe that Newey has made his mind up yet, he did concede that Stroll is definitely looking to bolster Aston Martin’s championship ambitions with the addition of arguably the greatest F1 designer of all time.
| According to Motorsport Italy, Adrian Newey has turned down Ferrari, and will select between Aston Martin and McLaren instead.
Newey and Vasseur had detailed conversations, but Newey spoke to other teams as well, and now the Newey-Ferrari rumours have faded completely.
It…
— Ferrari News (@FanaticsFerrari) July 12, 2024
That being said, even if the team succeeds in signing Newey, Stroll will have to show patience. Even with the skills of the Briton, Barretto feels that Aston Martin will not achieve immediate results. Rather, the expert believes that they will only witness the impact of Newey’s efforts four or five years after the Briton joins them.
