Fernando Alonso is very confident in the impact of star designer Adrian Newey's work, but he doesn't believe it will be apparent next year. But he secretly hopes he's wrong.
The two-time world champion has a realistic view of both his own and his team's situation, which is why he expects the real breakthrough to come in 2026:
"I would like to believe that Adrian's work will have a significant impact immediately, in the next car, but let's keep our feet on the ground and say that it is unlikely to be the case. All the more so because, no matter how great a genius he is, it is not the job of one person to make us competitive and world champions. This is a team effort, in which everyone has to do their part, we have to focus on what is going well and understand what we need to improve. This is how we should prepare for 2025!"
When will Adrian's genius be visible? I think in March of next season we will be able to sense behind the scenes where we are going. At that time, most people will be focused on 2026, Adrian will start working in the factory then, it will take time for him to get to know the people, and I am sure that he will also consider 2026 as the top priority. Of course, I will not be angry if we manage to flash something big in April, May of 2025, but I really believe in the 2026 car,” Alonso said soberly.
