Fernando Alonso has responded to Adrian Newey’s claim that Aston Martin has not listened enough to its drivers in the past, admitting “data was the winner” previously.
Aston Martin’s recovery from a poor start to the F1 2026 season stepped up at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, where the team introduced a major upgrade package.
Fernando Alonso: Adrian Newey ‘listens to both sides’ in data vs driver feedback debate
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The new-look AMR26 car allowed Alonso to reach Q2 for the first time this season.
The arrival of Aston Martin’s long-awaited upgrade came weeks after Newey admitted that the team has “been guilty of not spending enough time” with Alonso, teammate Lance Stroll and third driver Jak Crawford.
He told PlanetF1.com and other select media: “Whilst it might not seem like it, we are very much listening to their comments and trying to act upon it.
“If people don’t feel as if they’re being heard then they of course get very frustrated; it’s human reactions.”
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Alonso has claimed that Newey’s comments were related to the previous technical regime at Aston Martin, insisting that the current team principal combines data with driver feedback.
Alonso told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: ” I think to Adrian’s comments were more about the past.
“I think in the past it’s true that we sometimes had different opinions during the race weekends in terms of the feeling and weaknesses of the car.
“When we were racing with other cars, what we felt behind the wheel, and sometimes when you go back to the factory and see the data, you discover things and misbehaviour on the aero that maybe were pointing the direction of the car in two different ways.
“Maybe the data was the winner in those debates.
“I think Adrian is the type of designer who listens to both sides: data, for sure, but also what the drivers feel.
“Formula 1 is a very complex sport, probably, and very dynamic. It changes every lap.
“You never have the same fuel load, you never have the same tyre age, you never have the same wind conditions, whether you are following a car or whether you are alone on track.
“There are many different things that can affect the balance of the car. That’s why data is not 100 per cent the truth.
“I think you need to combine both things and Adrian has the best experience in the world to design a car and to develop a car.
“I think we are on a good path.”
Aston Martin’s chassis upgrade in Hungary will be followed by an update to the Honda power unit, which will make its race debut at the Dutch Grand Prix later this month.
The upgraded Honda engine took to the track for the first time in a filming day at the Hungaroring on Wednesday.
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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