Aston Martin registered its first point of the season in Monaco. Fernando Alonso crossed the finish line in tenth place thanks to a run of catastrophic misfortunes, but that doesn’t hide that Monaco’s Grand Prix has been the worst of the season in terms of performance. So Adrian Newey has spoken up to explain it.
Newey hadn’t appeared in Formula 1 since the Australian Grand Prix, the season opener, despite being Aston Martin’s team chief. With the championship returning to Europe we saw Newey back in the paddock and he brings good news under his arm: Aston Martin’s upgrades will arrive sooner than expected.
Newey Reappeared in Monaco After Three Months Absent from F1
There had been much speculation about where Adrian Newey had been. The Aston Martin team chief disappeared from Formula 1 after the Australian Grand Prix, the season opener, and many rumors, and even some serious statements, placed him in a hospital due to health issues.
In Monaco Adrian Newey has reappeared, and the Aston Martin guru has not given further explanations about the reason for his absence. According to the British engineer, he has simply been working on improving that AMR26. And that is where the good news come from: there will be upgrades earlier than expected.
“It’s good to be back. It’s the first race I’m at since Melbourne. I’ve only been working on improving the car,” explained Adrian Newey when he was welcomed back to Monaco. The head of Aston Martin was in the principality, but he still did not attend the team principals’ press conference, in which Pedro de la Rosa represented Aston Martin.
The good news Newey has hinted at is that “we will have an update ready probably before the summer break.” Up to now, what had been suggested was that Aston Martin would not expect anything until after the summer. The last race before the holidays is the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26.
Fernando Alonso picked up Aston Martin’s first point of the season in Monaco, but that pyrrhic result does not mask the troubles the AMR26 has endured in Monte Carlo. Especially with a gearbox suffering serious synchronization problems that made them lose a lot of time on the straights and put them at risk of an accident.
“We will suffer in the short term, but we will take a decent step forward when we do it. It is what we decided in Australia,” concluded Newey about what lies ahead for Aston Martin.
Images | Aston Martin
