Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has explained how the team is preparing for next year’s Formula 1 season, along with the accompanying new set of regulations.

The sport is readying itself for the start of a new era, with new rules signifying a huge change in cars, both aerodynamically and in terms of engine power.

A significant number of eyes may be on the Silverstone-based squad for reasons that are two-fold.

Firstly, the team will begin a new era as a user of Honda power units, as the Japanese marque returns after quitting the sport at the end of 2021.

Secondly, Aston will take to the track with a car designed on the drawing board of famed technical guru Adrian Newey, who formally joined the team in March.

Cowell revealed his own personal approach since joining the team, initially as Group CEO in 2024, in an interview with RacingNews365.

“Joining the team, I was keen to learn about the team overall and then dig down into the world of aerodynamics as an area that I knew of, but not any great detail as to what an aerodynamicist does,” he said.

“And then you pull a plan together, and you get stuck into going from what you can see to where you’d like the team to be.

“That learning just carries on. Every day is a new experience of learning and reflecting and thinking about ‘what’s the core purpose of the team?’

“Getting everybody focused on the objective of making our formula Aston Martin, powered by Honda racing car, to be better and measured against our reference.

“How do we get it so that every single area of our business focuses on performance improvement?

“The steeper we can make that curve, the quicker we will improve, which means you overtake the opposition. And if you keep focused on that. You don’t let glory pollute your head.

“You stay ahead, so it’s trying to get everything aligned to that, listening to all the requests and working out, what are we going to do, first, second and third – because you can’t do everything at the same time.”

Aston Martin aiming to be strong across future F1 seasons

Since Lawrence Stroll took ownership, the team, then known as Racing Point, has undergone several changes, not just in its name.

One of its recent statements has been the continual growth and expansion of its technology campus at Silverstone, not just the addition of personnel such as Newey.

“Change is not trivial,” Cowell explained. “We’re going racing, we’re engineering a car for next year, adding change on top of that is extra workload.

“Making change requires extra effort. There are always hurdles. There’s always a feeling of, ‘do we really need to?’ and it’s just leaning into that.

“It’s leaning into that and keeping the medium to long-term focus, because it’s not just about 2026. It’s the first season of us being a works team.

“But there are many more championships after that point, and we want to be strong across all of those.

“That’s where Lawrence is exceptionally good at having that vision and investing further for the medium to long-term.

“You don’t invest in a wind tunnel if it’s short-term. You don’t invest in the campus that we’ve experienced if you’re there for the short term.

“Lawrence gives a very clear vision. We’re all impatient, but the investment supports a medium to long-term approach.”

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Fernando Alonso has explained why he doesn’t “care too much” about what newer Formula 1 fans might think about certain aspects of the sport that concern him.

The Spaniard is currently in his 22nd season of F1, having made his debut for Minardi back in 2001, a year that predates the birth of six drivers on the current grid.

Alonso is now in his third campaign with Aston Martin, and has already set his sights on next year, and has many reasons to be confident.

The sport will introduce its new set of regulations, giving teams a blank slate in terms of competition, plus Aston can boast the talents of Adrian Newey on the design front.

With Alonso, therefore, able to target race wins next year, by which time he will have turned 45, the topic could naturally turn to the veteran seeing success at such an age.

When asked before the Belgian Grand Prix if Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg, who took his first F1 podium this year at age 38, could see themselves developing before the new, Netflix-age fans, Alonso, speaking to media including Motorsport Week, was politely dismissive, saying there is no “straightforward answer.”

“Actually, I don’t think Nico… or think we both don’t care too much about what the next-generation fans think,” he said.

“We only try to win races, try to work with our team the best we can, and deliver the performance.”

Alonso: ‘We love the fans’ but they ‘don’t have the full picture’

Alonso explained the logic behind what laypeople may perceive as a dismissive take on the issue, saying that, naturally, fans will not know how drivers work behind the scenes.

“The fans and the people outside watching TV, they don’t have the full picture of what is going on and the difference in performance between the cars,” he said.

“So, if next year Nico and myself have a winning car and we win eight consecutive races and fight for the championship, then they will think that we ate something different in winter or had a different training programme and we learned how to drive in the winter.

“This is not really the reality. We train every day, eat every day, travel every day, go to the simulator every day. We try to be better and better every day with our teams.”

Alonso concluded by saying that he, like all drivers, wish to give the fans the opportunity to share in their successes, but in the midst of competition, it’s not at the forefront of their minds.

“When we achieve the result, we just try to share it with them and our fans around the world — but they are not in our priority,” he added.

“And it cannot sound rude to anyone — we love the fans — but we don’t think about of if they realise how good or bad we drive.

“That is more for the team and the technical aspect of the sport, I think.”

READ MORE – How Nico Hulkenberg helped Haas discover harmony with new F1 driver line-up

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Fernando Alonso has supported Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich‘s bid for a full-time Formula 1 race seat in 2026.

Drugovich has been waiting in the wings with the Silverstone-based squad since winning the Formula 2 title in 2022, having joined its development programme.

In that time, the Brazilian has become part of its regular reserve driver roster, but has been unable to find a race seat with Aston or with any other team.

The closest Drugovich has come was in the build-up to the Canadian Grand Prix, when Lance Stroll was recuperating from hand surgery.

Such was his willingness to accept the drive should he be required, Drugovich was reportedly ready to relinquish his Cadillac Whelen seat at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Alas, Stroll recovered and was able to race, but Alonso believes he is more than ready to race should he be offered a seat.

“It would be great to see him in F1,” Alonso told media including Motorsport Week. “He has an incredible talent, Formula 2 was a demonstration.”

“We can see it here every day when we work with him,” Alonso said.

The Spanish veteran praised Drugovich’s work ethic and performances back at Aston’s HQ and in the free practice appearances he has given for the team.

“The simulator work, some of the free practices that he has,” Alonso cited.

“He has been always delivering the performance that the team was asking, even with very limited kilometres.

“It would be interesting to see him in a full-time drive and I hope it happens.”

Could an F1 offer from Cadillac be matched by a Formula E chance for Drugovich?

Drugovich has been frequently rumoured as a name on the shortlist of candidates for a drive with Cadillac, which will make its F1 debut next year.

With the speculation that the American marque, also to be based at Silverstone, is seeking a young and exciting prospect to be paired with a more experienced driver.

But it is possible Drugovich will have offers elsewhere, including Formula E, in which he made his full race debut for Mahindra in July.

With regular race driver Nyck de Vries fulfilling World Endurance Championship duties, Drugovich partook in the Berlin E-Prix double-header alongside Edo Mortara.

And after a 17th-place finish in Race 1, Drugovich equipped himself well to finish a mightily impressive seventh in Race 2.

After the race, Drugovich told Motorsport Week how he had found a real appreciation of the skillset FE drivers have, due to the hard and fast nature of the racing.

“I already had a lot of appreciation and respect for these guys and they are at a really high level,” he said.

“And it’s often difficult to see that from TV and, you know, it’s very hard to read the race and have a lot of mental capacity to understand and read the race while you’re still racing.”

When asked, having had a proper taste of the racing FE dishes out, if he would be keen to race in the all-electric championship again, Drugovich appeared positive about the prospect.

“That would be nice,” he said. “I think it’s something that I would be very happy to do.”

READ MORE – Fernando Alonso responds to Lance Stroll’s concerns about new 2026 F1 cars

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Aston Martin is determined not to repeat the “saga” that disrupted its 2024 Formula 1 campaign, with Trackside Officer Mike Krack confirming the team is now focused on making more informed, data-backed decisions before committing to upgrade directions.

Having trialled different floor specifications across both cars last season — a costly and logistically demanding process — the team is prioritising clarity and consistency in its development path.

The British squad spent much of late 2024 switching floor set-ups from race to race, a strategy that complicated rather than clarified performance issues.

Now keen to avoid the same trap, Krack says the approach has changed for 2025 — with the team taking a more measured stance on upgrades.

When asked directly about whether Aston Martin would continue swapping floor specifications as they did last year, Krack was clear.

“Yes, we will not do that, so we will not do what we have done last year,” he told media including Motorsport Week.

“I think that is also why, what I just mentioned to you, we want to get more data, because these FP1 sessions are always quite short.

“You have different tyres, you have conditions and you cannot change your floor during sessions, so you have to do cross-car, cross-sessions, these kind of exercises.

“When you take these kind of decisions, you have to be sure, otherwise you will always carry five of each, which is not only a logistical problem, but also cost.

“That is why we want to get more in-depth knowledge of our results and our data and make the right decisions.”

Aston Martin takes a cautious and data-driven approach to floor development

A revised floor introduced at Imola appeared to mark a turning point for the team. Further developments followed at Silverstone, where a new floor was trialled, though the team chose not to race it at Spa-Francorchamps.

Instead, Aston Martin brought a new front wing — but endured one of its toughest weekends of the year.

At the Hungaroring, the team kept the upgraded front wing but again held back on the new floor, running it only for Lance Stroll in Friday’s opening session. Stand-in Felipe Drugovich continued with the previous specification for comparison.

While the new floor showed promise at the British Grand Prix, Krack cautioned that the team is still gathering data before fully committing to it.

“No, it is not about being sure – as I mentioned before, the track character is very different to Silverstone,” he added.

“Silverstone is a little bit special track, and don’t forget we also had rainy conditions, so you don’t get all the information that you want to have.

“It is just about making sure, because we do not want to go into this saga of floor discussion that we had previously.

“To make a proper decision, you have to have proper information. That is what we want to do.”

Asked if there were doubts about the floor’s performance or if it was tailored for a specific speed range, Krack explained: “I don’t have any doubt in it – I think it is giving us what we expect.

He then revealed: “We have the new wind tunnel, obviously, for a couple of months now running.

“The developments have really brought or behaved the way we have expected them to behave, which is very encouraging.

“It is about getting more data, accumulating data to reinforce the picture and make the right choices.”

READ MORE – Why Fernando Alonso is ‘concerned’ by Aston Martin resurgence at F1 Hungarian GP

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Fernando Alonso revealed why it is “concerning” that Aston Martin was able to produce such a competitive performance at Formula 1‘s Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Silverstone-based squad sprang a surprise at the Hungaroring, with Alonso taking fifth place, followed closely by team-mate Lance Stroll, finishing seventh.

The AMR25’s performance was a total contrast to that of its previous outing at Spa, where both cars were down and out for the whole weekend.

Alonso explained that he, at one point, believed a podium was on the cards, but whilst it failed to transpire, still appeared delighted by the result.

“I think it couldn’t have gone any better than this, obviously,” he told media including Motorsport Week.

“Someone told me that the two McLarens were very close to each other at one point. That would have been even better, but it didn’t happen. 

“But yeah, apart from that, I think we maximised the performance of the car yesterday in quali and today in the race. 

“Not much more to do on our side. The biggest threat was the two stops, but then he had some traffic, and at the end we were a little bit more relaxed.”

The Spaniard also revealed that he did not spend too much time battling Mercedes’ George Russell before pitting during the race, opting to think of the long run.

“Yeah, before my pitstop I didn’t want to lose much time,” he explained. “I wanted him to overtake me on the main straight, not into Turn 2, because then we both lose a lot of time.

“So I said I will defend this straight and maybe in the next lap I let him go.”

Alonso speculates Aston Martin improvement

Alonso was shocked by how competitive the AMR25 was around the Hungaroring, saying after qualifying that “the layout, the characteristics of the circuit, is suiting our car, apparently.”

The team brought what was described as “more aggressive” design of its front wing flap, an addition to its front nose upgrade for Spa, which seemed to make no positive impact.

The 44-year-old repeated this astonishment, conveying his obvious happiness with the result, but also stated his concern as to why.

“It is a surprise, definitely,” he expressed. “It’s a nice surprise. The good thing is that we were competitive and we were fast.

“The concerning thing is that we don’t know why. In a way, we need this week at the factory to analyse exactly what are the differences between Spa and Hungary, what are the differences on the car as well, on the setup, on the aero devices that we were racing with. 

“The main thing for us was the front wing that was new this weekend.

“If that front wing gives us that much of performance, that’s very good news, but I think that has to be understood at the moment.”

READ MORE – Ex-Ferrari F1 technical chief begins work with Aston Martin

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Former Ferrari Technical Director Enrico Cardile has officially joined Formula 1 rivals Aston Martin as its Chief Technical Officer.

The Italian, who spent nearly 20 years with Ferrari in various capacities, left the Scuderia last summer upon being recruited by the Silverstone-based squad.

Aston had originally announced its signing of Cardile upon the conclusion of last year’s British Grand Prix, with reports earlier this year stating that Ferrari were insisting the 50-year-old completed a full year of gardening leave.

This was later confirmed when Ferrari won a legal case to ensure Cardile would be prevented from taking up his new position, which he is now finally allowed to do.

“We are pleased that a resolution has been found and that Enrico can move forward with the team as we look to 2026 and beyond as our Chief Technical Officer, leading our design and technical functions at the AMR Technology Campus,” an Aston Martin spokesperson said.

The British marque will be Cardile’s first role in motorsport outside of Ferrari, having initially begun work at Maranello in 2005.

Initially overseeing aerodynamics for its FIA GT Championship cars, Cardile moved up to Head of Aero Development in the F1 team in 2016, before progressing to the role of vehicle project manager.

There will be much excitement and anticipation afoot, as the move will see Cardile working alongside Managing Technical Partner Adrian Newey, who began his own work with the team in March.

It was initially thought that the pair would complete a trio with Dan Fallows, its previous Technical Director. However, the Briton left the team late last year.

READ MORE – How Aston Martin came close to shock F1 Hungarian GP pole

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Fernando Alonso believes the Hungaroring suits the AMR25 after both Aston Martin drivers came within a whisker of taking pole position for Formula 1‘s Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Silverstone-based squad had been showing positive one-lap pace through all three free practice sessions, which continued when it really mattered in qualifying.

Alonso and Lance Stroll became genuine challengers for pole, finishing fifth and sixth respectively, just over a tenth of a second behind the eventual pole time set by Charles Leclerc.

Alonso revealed to media including Motorsport Week that the tight and twisty profile of the circuit appeared to be a match made in heaven for the AMR25 package.

“We didn’t change the car massively since Spa seven days ago, no new parts for anybody at this race,” he said.

“Just the layout, the characteristics of the circuit, is suiting our car, apparently.

“It would be nice to understand this, why the car is operating in this sweet spot here because, if we understand that, we can use it in the next few races.”

Alonso was adamant that the car, which has not been a particularly competitive one across a number of races this year, is as good as it can be on every circuit, amid changes to its floor in previous races.

“I’m quite happy, and I feel the team is happy with all the upgrades we brought this year,” he said.

“The Imola floor, the Silverstone floor, and the front wing at Spa – all three of them, they were just delivering exactly what we were hoping for, and what we saw in the wind tunnel. So the correlation is very good.

“It’s true that for some circuits and some speeds, some floors can work in a different way, and some will be better in certain circuits, and some in another.

“I think we put the fastest car possible on track every weekend.”

Alonso added that he was aiming for himself and Stroll to try and finish where they will start, saying it would be a huge morale boost for the team ahead of the summer break, after what has been a tricky season for the team so far.

“I would like if we can finish in the same positions as we start, fifth and sixth will be lovely in terms of points for the team before the summer break – that will be the first target,” he said.

“If we can recover any places, it would be good. But I think we need to understand as well that there are some threats from behind, some fast cars – Max and Lewis are behind, so it’s not going to be easy.”

Stroll: ‘It’s been a while’ since Aston Martin car felt this good

Stroll corroborated Alonso’s theory that the circuit was a good fit for the car, again saying it was the primary reason for the performance, and not the aforementioned floor changes.

“Yeah, more than the floors and stuff, I think it’s the track, it really suits our car,” he told media including Motorsport Week.

“I think when we put on the downforce and the conditions are cool and there’s a lot of wind, we’re kind of where we need to be.

“For the performance of the car, all weekend it’s been there, it’s been the windows since the first lap of Q1. 

“We’ve been kind of tough, 6-7 just most of the weekend. It’s just really nice to drive it.”

When asked when the car felt this good to drive, Stroll quipped: “It’s been a while.”

READ MORE – Max Verstappen at a loss as ‘nothing works’ for Red Bull in F1 Hungarian GP qualifying

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Fernando Alonso opened up about the muscle injury in his lower back after FP2 ahead of the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, revealing how he is managing discomfort to stay competitive.

Despite the injury, the Aston Martin driver reported no pain while driving and remains optimistic about getting through the weekend, with the summer break providing some much-needed recovery time.

Alonso and the team decided it was best for him to sit out FP1 to better manage the number of laps he would need to complete during the Hungarian GP weekend.

Felipe Drugovich stepped in to replace the Spaniard for the session, as Alonso returned for FP2, finishing an impressive fifth – just behind team-mate Lance Stroll in fourth – a strong showing for Aston Martin.

After FP2, the 44-year-old spoke about the injury he’s managing in Budapest.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s the same as yesterday,” he said when asked about his back. “It’s going to be like this the whole weekend.

“I have a small injury on my muscle at the back, on the lumbar area. And yeah, I need some rest, but the summer break is coming.

“So, yeah, it’s another two days of managing the comfort on the seat. We found different solutions yesterday with air pads and other things that they are working fine. Today I had no pain in FP2. So that’s positive.”

When asked whether this type of injury is common among drivers, Alonso explained how it’s a frequent issue in the sport, but manageable with the right care.

“Yeah, you always have small pain and discomfort here and there,” he added. “The thing is that we did the MRI last week just to check properly.

“And, yeah, we saw a small, small injury on the muscle. So, yeah, obviously, if you are a normal person, you will sit a little bit for two weeks.

“But, yeah, I think it is manageable. I don’t have pain in the car, which is the most important thing.”

READ MORE – Fernando Alonso to make F1 Hungarian GP return after FP1 absence

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Fernando Alonso will take part in FP2 for Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix after sitting out FP1 on medical grounds.

The Spaniard skipped the first session at the Hungaroring to limit time in the AMR25 due to a muscular issue in his bac, with reserve driver Felipe Drugovich taking his place.

However, the two-time World Champion has, according to the Silverstone-based squad, received further treatment and will be back in the car for FP2.

Aston’s Trackside Officer Mike Krack said previously that he was confident of Alonso’s swift return, saying that “plan is to have Fernando in the car from FP2 onwards.”

The Brazilian, who recently completed a successful Formula E cameo for Mahindra Racing, was 16 out of the 20 runners, clocking a personal best time of 1:17.629s.

Alonso’s team-mate Lance Stroll was 10th fastest, his 1:16.984s being within a tenth of first-placed Lando Norris.

The team has brought two new updates to the race weekend, with a new, “more aggressive” front wing flap, which is described in the notes as “more aggressive,” supposedly to increase “the total amount of load the wing can generate to be used with the higher downforce rear wing that will be used at this event.”

READ MORE – Red Bull headlines minimal upgrades list at F1 Hungarian GP

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Aston Martin has revealed that Fernando Alonso’s decision to miss FP1 at the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix was taken early to prioritise his recovery.

The Spaniard is sitting out Friday’s opening session in Budapest due to a muscular back issue sustained after last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, with Felipe Drugovich stepping in.

Aston Martin Trackside Officer Mike Krack explained the reasoning behind the move and addressed comparisons to Lance Stroll’s withdrawal in Spain earlier this year.

“No, I think they are always completely separate factors,” Krack told media including Motorsport Week.

“Fernando developed a small muscular problem after Spa. With the intensity of our calendar, there is never enough recovery time.

“Even for sleep sometimes, there is not enough recovery time because you have to travel.

“I think that is one of the issues. We elected to increase the recovery time and drop out FP1, which is normally the least important session.

“The plan is to have Fernando in the car from FP2 onwards.”

Krack remained confident Alonso will be ready for Sunday, emphasising that comfort and preparation have taken precedence over mileage.

“I don’t think it’s the hours, it’s probably the lower amount of laps rather than the hours,” he added.

“The Grand Prix is long. Yeah, the Grand Prix is long. If you think about the number of laps, it’s going to be a long afternoon.

“We have obviously made some modifications. He is fit in position. We have checked some stuff yesterday, how to make him more comfortable. We are quite confident.”

Aston Martin switch ‘straightforward’ thanks to Drugovich’s experience

Krack also downplayed the challenge of slotting Drugovich into Alonso’s car for FP1, highlighting the Brazilian’s familiarity with the team and consistent performance in past sessions.

“No, actually it’s more the application of how you run the same test programme and how you adjust these kind of things,” he explained when asked about the preparation needed.

“Changing drivers is quite straightforward, especially as they are not substantially different in size.

“Considering we have run Felipe many, many times already, also for an afternoon session or changing in the morning session, and he did some FP1s as well.

“The change from the two race drivers to Felipe is always very straightforward. We have everything prepared.

“I think also when it comes to the driving, Felipe is very robust, very reliable.

“He will run the same programme as Fernando was intended to because we get super quality results. Then we’ll see how we go on.”

READ MORE – Fernando Alonso’s F1 Hungarian GP participation in doubt due to back injury

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