Fernando Alonso blow as ‘realistic’ Adrian Newey set forces against..

Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin will not be winning races or challenging for the World Championship in F1 2026 despite the signing of Adrian Newey.

That is the prediction of F1 business expert Mark Gallagher, who believes Newey will need up to five years for his impact to be felt at Aston Martin.

Will Aston Martin’s rise come too late for Fernando Alonso?
Aston Martin announced the signing of Newey as the team’s managing technical partner earlier this month in a major coup for team owner Lawrence Stroll, with the F1 design guru set to arrive from reigning World Champions Red Bull.

Newey stands as the most decorated individual in F1 history, having contributed to more than 200 race wins and achieved a combined total of 25 Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships with Red Bull, McLaren and Williams.

Aston Martin’s signing of the technical genius has raised expectations that Alonso could yet secure a landmark third World Championship, with the F1 2026 season marking the 20th anniversary of his second title triumph with Renault.

Under the terms of his Red Bull exit, negotiated by former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan, Newey will be free to start work with Aston Martin as soon as 2025, crucially sidestepping the period of gardening leave commonplace in F1 staff contracts to lead the team’s preparations for F1 2026.

However, Gallagher, who previously worked in F1 for the likes of Jordan, Red Bull and engine manufacturer Cosworth, is convinced that Aston Martin will require up to five years to emerge as a leading force with the team still at the start of their rise.

Appearing on the Flat Chat podcast, he said: “I’ve talked to my former boss, Mr Jordan and he assures me – and he’s talked quite openly about this – that the negotiation with Lawrence Stroll was actually incredibly straightforward