Aston Martin must improve before Newey arrival - boss

Team boss Mike Krack insists he will not condone Aston Martin F1 employees who are prepared to wait for the impact of Adrian Newey’s 2025 arrival.

The green-clad team appeared to be on a fast track to success early last year, with Fernando Alonso’s string of podiums. But since then, progress has stalled - leaving Aston Martin ’best of the rest’ behind McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.

"The worst title you can give us is ’best of the rest’," Krack insisted to Auto Motor und Sport.

He says Aston Martin must up its game immediately - both in the remainder of 2024, and also for 2025. Newey, Red Bull’s renowned technical genius who is currently on ’gardening leave’, will arrive at Silverstone in March next year.

But Krack insists he will not tolerate a ’wait for Newey’-type attitude from any staff member.

"If I see something like that, they won’t be around for much longer," he warns. "First, we have to show Adrian what we are capable of. That should actually serve as motivation for all of us."

Even Newey, 65, isn’t sure just how immediately he can have an impact.

"To be honest, I don’t know the answer to that question either, until I start," he told motorsport-total.com.

"Of course we want to do well in 2025, but for me it is mainly about learning to work with everyone - understanding how to get the best out of everyone. That is the most important thing. Everything else will come later.

"There is little point in making predictions," Newey added.

Indeed, it is obvious that Aston Martin is very much already looking ahead to 2026, when Newey’s first green car will coincide with sweeping new regulations and the arrival of works Honda power.

"The aerodynamic regulations for 2026 will be announced on 1 or 2 January 2025," said Newey. "I will start about two months after that announcement, so I will have to get going as quickly as possible.

"The 2026 regulations offer opportunities, obviously, because it will be a reset for everyone, but we simply don’t know if it will work in our favour."

Fernando Alonso, who hasn’t added to his title tally for almost 20 years, is only signed up through the end of the 2026 season.

"At the moment it’s not in my plans," he said at a sponsor event this week when asked if he might consider trying once again to win the Indy 500.

"I’m very, very focused on Formula 1 now," the Spaniard added. "Over the next two or three years, I want to win the third world title. This is my first and only priority at the moment.

"And then, because I’ll be 45, 46, we’ll see when the time comes how I’m going," Alonso smiled.