– Juan Pablo Montoya is convinced that Adrian Newey will lead Aston Martin to long-term success. The former Formula 1 driver does not see the team’s current difficult situation as a fundamental problem, but rather as a matter of timing.
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Newey moved to Aston Martin for the 2025 season as managing technical partner and shareholder. Since 2026, he has also taken on the role of team principal. His most important task is to lead the team through the new Formula 1 regulations and, together with the new engine partner Honda, set the course for the future.
Sportingly, the season has been disappointing so far. Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Aston Martin is in tenth and last place in the constructors’ standings. With a extensively revised B-spec car, the team from Silverstone now hopes for an upward trend.
Montoya: “It’s not a question of if”
In the F1 TV show “Weekend Warm-Up,” Montoya spoke about the team’s long-term prospects. Earlier, Fernando Alonso had emphasized his continued great confidence in Newey and Honda.
Montoya believes that Alonso also wanted to send a signal to the team with his statements: “Publicly, he tries to push the team a bit, just like Max does. The motto is: ‘I want to stay, but you have to improve.’ Realistically, though, he is in the best position. If anyone can do it, it’s Adrian and Aston Martin.”
The Colombian is convinced that success will come, even if the exact timing is open: “The question is when. It’s not a question of if it will happen, but when it will happen and whether the schedule fits it. Do you want to be where they are now? No. But they will make huge progress. I believe this step will be big.”
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The second half of the season will be more telling
Montoya does not yet consider the Hungarian Grand Prix a reliable indicator. “I don’t think Hungary will give a real picture of where they will be in one or two months. Once they have the new power unit and everything is finalized, we will get a better picture of where they really stand in Monza, Baku, Madrid, and the other races.”
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His wish would be to see Aston Martin move significantly closer to the midfield by then: “It would be great if they were where Williams is now or at least close to Alpine by Madrid. That would be really nice to see.”
At the same time, Montoya makes it clear that sporting progress could also have an impact on the driver lineup. If Aston Martin becomes competitive, he can imagine both drivers staying with the team for several more years. However, if the results do not come, he considers changes in the driver lineup quite possible.
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With the revised car in Hungary, an important phase of the season now begins for Aston Martin. Whether the expected turnaround actually succeeds, according to Montoya’s assessment, will only become apparent in the coming races.
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