Newey seeks to keep Alonso with major car upgrade

LONDON: Aston Martin boss Adrian Newey hopes a major car upgrade planned for next month’s Hungarian Grand Prix will keep Fernando Alonso racing for the Formula One team next season.

Alonso, a double world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, will be 45 next month and is already the oldest driver on the grid.

“Fernando is really looking forward to the upgrade and, if it performs, we hope he’ll be in the cockpit for another season,” Newey said in a Q&A posted on the team’s website.

“Given his experience, his feel for the car, his ability to guide development, he’s a tremendous asset. But he wants to see clear, tangible progress. If we can show that we’re moving decisively in the right direction, he’s absolutely committed to being behind the wheel.”

Aston have had what Newey called an “extremely challenging” season so far, scoring only one point in eight rounds and struggling even to finish races with an uncompetitive Honda engine and overweight car.

The sport’s most acclaimed designer took over as principal this season after joining from Red Bull last year.

The 67-year-old said both Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence, would get the upgrade for the July 26 race at the Hungaroring.

The main structural elements will stay the same but weight has been taken out of the gearbox and the chassis, which required a fresh crash test. More parts that were previously outsourced are now being made in-house.

“The front suspension is unchanged. The rear suspension is slightly revised,” said Newey.

“We’ve developed a new nose and substantially revised aerodynamic surfaces. So, while the core structure is similar, it’s a big aerodynamic package coupled with significant weight reduction. The target is to get very close to the weight limit.

“We’re predicting a large step, but I’m reluctant to put specific numbers out there because our simulation tools aren’t yet as sophisticated or well correlated as they need to be.”

Newey said Aston Martin was investing in engineering simulation tools but real gains would only be seen later in the year.

The Briton also touched on health issues that had distracted him.

“I’m OK now, but it’s been a difficult period,” he said. “In truth, I was not 100% last year. I had to balance health and work much more carefully. The team handled it incredibly well. I kept a very good relationship with the engineers and I don’t feel it caused too much of a blip.”