Despite Newey’s impending arrival, Aston Martin is still grappling with early struggles and expects a difficult start to the season.
As the 2025 Formula 1 season approaches, Aston Martin finds itself at a pivotal moment.
While the upcoming season is expected to be a transitional year ahead of the significant regulatory overhaul in 2026, the biggest news surrounding the Silverstone-based team is the anticipated arrival of legendary designer Adrian Newey.
Newey, the mastermind behind multiple championship-winning cars at Red Bull, is regarded as one of the greatest engineers in F1 history.
His potential move to Aston Martin has generated immense excitement as the team aims to elevate itself from a competitive midfield squad to a genuine title contender.
A problematic start before the Newey effect
Despite the buzz around Newey’s expected involvement, former F1 driver Roberto Merhi has expressed concerns about Aston Martin’s early 2025 form.
Speaking to Spanish media, Merhi predicted that the team might struggle in the initial stages of the season.
“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.
However, Merhi believes that Aston Martin will still be competitive enough to stay ahead of teams like Williams, Sauber, Haas, and Red Bull’s junior team, VCARB.
“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.”
Daniel Juncadella, an Aston Martin simulator driver, echoed his sentiments. He admitted that expectations for 2025 remain subdued.
“They are low.
“It’s not like we will throw a year away, because it’s important that it’s a competitive year.
“But it’s also a year to gather all of the information possible for next year [2026], where the expectations are very high.”
Juncadella remained hopeful, stating, “Everyone is already very close and I hope that this is the trend, because when the drivers are close Fernando can make the difference.
“So I am confident that we could also have some surprises.”
2026: The big picture
With sweeping regulation changes arriving in 2026, Aston Martin is fully focused on positioning itself as a front-runner in F1’s new era. Their partnership with Honda will see them become a works team, gaining exclusive access to the Japanese manufacturer’s power units.
That said, Honda’s own progress towards 2026 has raised some concerns.
Koji Watanabe, president of the Honda Racing Corporation, recently acknowledged the immense challenge of developing a new hybrid engine under F1’s revised rules.
Speaking to the media, he admitted, “We are struggling. Now we are trying our best to show the result next year.
“Everything is new. The motor is a new 355-kW, very compact one we need. Also the lightweight battery, it’s not so easy to develop. And also the small engine with the big power.
“Everything is very difficult, but we try our best.”
It is understood that Watanabe was commenting on the challenges of the new rules rather than referring specifically to Honda’s own progress.
Aston Martin is looking ahead to the 2025 campaign
While much of the focus is on the future, Aston Martin is still preparing for a highly competitive 2025 season. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will again lead the charge, with the duo set to unveil the team’s latest livery at Formula 1’s first-ever season launch event in London.
The AMR25 car will officially be revealed on February 23, with a shakedown planned in Bahrain soon after.
In recent years, Aston Martin has made impressive strides, finishing fifth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2023 and 2024 and showing flashes of brilliance, particularly in the hands of Alonso.
The team hopes to maintain strong performances while laying the groundwork for 2026 when they expect to make their most serious bid for F1 glory.
With Adrian Newey likely to bring his wealth of experience, Honda’s return, and a state-of-the-art factory in Silverstone now operational, Aston Martin is quietly assembling the ingredients for a bright future.
While 2025 may be a season of learning, the long-term vision is clear: to compete at the very front of the grid.
Feature Image Credit: Aston Martin
