Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has backed Adrian Newey to turn Aston Martin’s season around, arguing that it is only a matter of time before the Silverstone outfit finds success.
Newey joined Aston Martin in 2025 as managing technical partner and shareholder before also assuming the role of team principal in 2026. Tasked with guiding the team through the 2026 regulation changes and its new power unit partnership with Honda, Newey has suffered a challenging start to his time with the outfit.
Aston Martin heads into the Hungarian Grand Prix 10th in the constructors’ championship. But with a B-spec car introduced at the Hungaroring, the Lawrence Stroll-owned team is hoping to turn its season around.
The Colombian discussed Aston Martin’s long-term prospects during the F1 TV Weekend Warm-Up show, following comments from two-time champion Fernando Alonso confirming his confidence in Newey and backing the team’s power unit partner, Honda.
Montoya suggested Alonso’s remarks were an effort to motivate his team internally.
“Publicly, I think he’s trying to push the team a little bit like Max is doing. ‘I want to stay, but you need to do better.’ And realistically, he’s in the best position that if somebody’s going to get it right, it’s Adrian and Aston Martin.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images
“The question is when. It’s not if it’s going to happen; it’s when it’s going to happen, and if the timeline is going to match with him. Do you want to run the way they’re running? No. But they’re going to make huge strides. I think that this step is going to be big.
“But I don’t think [the Hungarian GP is] going to be a true representation of where they’re going to be one or two months from now. Once they get the new power unit and they finalise this, when we go to Monza, we go to Baku, Madrid, all those races, we’ll get a better read on where they really are.
“It’d be cool if by the time they come to Madrid, they’re somewhere where Williams is or close to an Alpine. It would be amazing to see.”
While Montoya backed Aston Martin to rebound, he later added that if it does not become more competitive, both drivers could leave. “If the car starts becoming really good, we’re going to see those two drivers for at least a couple more years. If the car stays uncompetitive, we might see two drivers out. How much longer do you really want to do it?”
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