Aston Martin waiting for Adrian Newey to 'put out the fires' claims Spanish driver

Former F1 driver Roberto Merhi has claimed that Aston Martin is waiting on Adrian Newey to start working on developing their car, and hence may have to suffer a slow start to the 2025 season. Newey is set to officially join his new team in March.

Aston Martin's second F1 season in 2023 was a hugely successful one, with Fernando Alonso claiming eight podiums for the team that ended up finishing 5th in the Constructors' Standings, only 22 points behind McLaren (4th).

The team was perceived to be heading in the right direction with their new ownership under Lawrence Stroll, before the 2024 season somewhat derailed their progress. They remained 5th in the standings last season but their gap to the 4th place meant that Mercedes had increased to 374 points.

So when Aston Martin announced in September that Adrian Newey would be joining the Silverstone-based team as Managing Technical Partner and shareholder, it was one of the only positives for the team in the whole year.

Now, former F1 driver Roberto Merhi has claimed that he does not expect Aston Martin to be very competitive in 2025 either, as the team is waiting on Newey to come in and 'put out fires' once he begins work in March. Speaking to COPE, the Spaniard said:

“From what I understand, Aston is not going to get off to a very good start. They are waiting for Newey to put out the fires. We have to wait a bit."

“In theory, Aston Martin should be ahead of Williams. They beat them last year and, as a team, they have made a step forward in the last three years. I think we will have a battle with Sauber first, Haas and RB.” he added.

Adrian Newey is expected to have a huge say in the development of Aston Martin's 2026 challengers, as he can have a huge imprint on the car amid the new regulations kicking in next season. He is also expected to work closely with Aston's incoming engine suppliers, Honda, with whom he has previously worked at Red Bull.

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Honda President shared why he expects to face conflicts with Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey at the Japanese Grand Prix, 2024 - Source: Getty

After Adrian Newey was announced to be joining Aston Martin, Honda Racing Corporation President Koji Watanabe explained that he expects to have conflicts with the Briton in their pursuit of developing a championship winning car in the near future. Honda will replace Mercedes as Aston Martin's engine supplier from 2026 onwards.

Speaking to Autosport, Watanabe explained that Honda previously worked with Newey at Red Bull and the teams faced many conflicts as the engine developers and chassis developers had many differences in opinion.

But he also went on to say that the conflicts ultimately resulted in them creating the "best car in the car" and hopes for a similar result again at Aston Martin:

"While we build the PU and they build the car’s chassis, there are times when our visions don’t always align. In such cases, there are conflicts between what the chassis team wants and what the PU team wants, but together, we’ve managed to create the best car in the world."

With Newey now at Aston Martin, I expect similar challenges to arise, but I hope this will lead to the Aston Martin Honda team becoming the best in the world. We’re prepared for some conflicts. Of course, it’s not just with Newey," he added.

Adrian Newey is one of the most successful figures in F1 history, with the 66-year-old's car designs contributing to 14 Drivers' Championships, 12 Constructors' Championships and an overall total of 220 Grand Prix victories.