Jun.3 (GMM) Adrian Newey could be back in the Aston Martin garage in Monaco this weekend after a notably low-profile start to his involvement with the Silverstone-based team.
The design legend’s relative absence in recent weeks has fuelled speculation not only about Aston Martin-Honda’s disastrous start to 2026, but also about his long-term role within the organisation – and even his health.
Spanish reports now suggest Newey is expected to attend Monaco, although Aston Martin has not officially confirmed the plans.
Speaking at the launch of the upcoming Barcelona GP, Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa urged patience.
“It will be a difficult grand prix, you’ve already seen how the season has started, but I have to say that we have a large investment behind us,” he said.
Standing in front of Barcelona’s famous Sagrada Familia, De la Rosa compared Newey to the building’s legendary architect Antoni Gaudi.
“Today, sitting here and looking at this impressive work by Gaudi, an architect who, if not the best in the world, is certainly groundbreaking, I thought that we have our own Gaudi, and that’s Adrian Newey,” he said.
The former McLaren driver acknowledged that Aston Martin’s ambitious project will take time to deliver results.
“I think it will be a complicated period, but we have a spectacular project for the future,” said de la Rosa.
“Teams are made up of people, and we have very strong people and spectacular tools. Now we just need to be a little patient.”
“Little by little, throughout the summer, we’ll start to show our potential.”
The comments come amid growing focus on Aston Martin’s future with Honda and Newey, particularly after former Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost suggested the team could still succeed under Newey’s guidance – “health permitting”.
De la Rosa also addressed Fernando Alonso’s future, insisting retirement talk remains premature despite the Spaniard’s age and Aston Martin’s current struggles.
“Hopefully, he won’t retire, because there are many races to come,” he said.
De la Rosa then revealed a story that suggests even Alonso remains unpredictable when it comes to retirement plans.
“I remember that before 2024 started, he told me, ‘I’m going to retire’,” he said.
Expecting Alonso’s farewell season, De la Rosa even arranged to attend every race. But only a few races later, Alonso changed his mind.
“I think it was in China,” de la Rosa recalled. “Fernando takes me aside and says, ‘I’m going to renew for two more.’
“And I turn to him and say, ‘Wow, two? But weren’t you retiring this year?’ And he said, ‘No, no, I want to do two more.'”
The episode convinced De la Rosa not to make long-term assumptions about Alonso’s future.
“He’s a man with such vitality, energy, drive, passion … spectacular,” he said.
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