Villeneuve says "exceptional drivers" can only drive cars designed by Newey

Will Newey's designs suit Aston Martin?

Newey joined the British team after he left Red Bull Racing, working at the Austrian team for 18 years. However, after a turbulent offseason in 2024, it led to the departure of many key members of staff, including Newey, meaning every other team in F1 wanted to sign the master designer. Aston Martin were able to do so, and now, with Newey joining on 1 March 2025, they will look to seriously challenge for titles in 2026. 

However, Villeneuve thinks that there might not be success straight away for Aston Martin once Newey starts working on the designs for the British team, saying that cars designed by Newey can only work effectively if a top-quality driver is behind the wheel.

"From my experience, Newey has always built cars that need to be driven very precisely," started the 1997 world champion. "His cars have always had a narrow operating window, but if you found that operating window, the cars were super fast. It is not a car for everyone. He makes cars for exceptional drivers and the exceptional drivers will make a big difference in these cars; the ordinary driver will suffer," Villeneuve indicated to Marca.

Newey has earned 12 constructors' titles and 13 drivers' titles in his time at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull Racing, becoming one of the all-time greats of the sport and highlighting the success he has had at different team with his designs. However, with the British designer starting in March 2025, next season will be a transition year for the British team. Newey will then come in and work mainly on the 2026 car, taking advantage of the regulation change in F1.

"The key now for Fernando [Alonso] is to 'survive' long enough to get a winning car," Villeneuve continues, knowing that 2026 will be the season that Aston Martin are looking towards. "You don't do that by beating [Lance] Stroll by a second a lap. Part of Fernando's job there is to help Lance improve. His job there is not necessarily to become champion himself, he has to make Aston Martin champion. That's why Newey is joining the team."

Currently, Alonso is 43 years old. When the 2026 season ends, he will be 45 years old, which will make him one of the oldest drivers ever in Formula 1, certainly in the past few decades.

This article was created in collaboration with Corwin Kunst