Fernando Alonso has challenged Aston Martin to replicate Red Bull and capitalise on revised rules to become dominant once Formula 1’s regulations change in 2026.
Alonso’s arrival coincided with Aston Martin emerging as Red Bull’s most consistent threat last term, but the squad has since regressed to fifth place in the standings.
But while Red Bull has continued to reign supreme this season, the Austrian outfit has been rocked with the news that design guru Adrian Newey will depart next term.
Newey’s impending exit has sparked talk that Red Bull could be vulnerable with the upcoming overhaul, with Aston Martin one team aiming to exploit the rules tweak.
Aston Martin has invested in a state-of-the-art headquarters and will embark upon a works partnership with Honda for the brand-new engine regulations set for 2026.
Alonso has asserted that the Silverstone-based squad is desperate to nail the next-generation cars to repeat what Mercedes and Red Bull have managed beforehand.
“I think the most important thing is for everyone I think it’s the 2026 regulations,” Alonso said.
“Adrian was making the most of the current regulations, the ones that started in 2022, but, for example, the 2014 regulation was Mercedes making the most of them.
“You never know what is going to happen in 2026. We want to be the Mercedes of 2014 or we want to be the Red Bull of 2022. And I think a lot of teams are hoping for that.”
Alonso has denied suggestions that Newey leaving is a sign that Red Bull is collapsing and comments stating otherwise have been planted to unsettle the champions.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown and Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff both addressed last week that there had been an increase in applications from Red Bull individuals.
Asked whether he thinks Red Bull is imploding since the revelation that Newey will end his near two-decade association with the team, Alonso replied: “I don’t think so.
“I think obviously they are dominating the sport since 2021 and when something outside the team or outside the race weekend is happening, I mean, there is a lot of news generated by that team, because they are the ones that everyone wants to beat and everyone wants to destabilise them in a way to make sure that you are able to beat them on track.
“So, yeah, I think if, you know, you lose your technical director or your designer in another team will be a little bit less news than, if it happens on the winning team.
“But let’s see what happens in the future.”
