Fernando Alonso’s longevity is impressive in modern times, as the Aston Martin F1 driver turns 44 this year. Jacques Villeneuve was asked about the Spaniard’s expectations in his team for 2026 with the arrival of Adrian Newey, but the 1997 world champion is cautious.
“Aston Martin knows it will take time. I’m talking about the fans, not the team. The fans add two and two and they come up with six. The expectation is that they have signed Adrian Newey and they can start winning” Villeneuve said.
“It takes time to train the people around you. It takes time to design a car. It takes time to do everything. So 2025 is not the ideal year. It doesn’t happen like that. Internally, they know the problem is external.”
According to the Canadian, expectations that are too high come from influencers who play the role of media on social networks and give erroneous information, fueling false expectations: “Part of the problem is that half of the media is Instagram media. They’re not real media, they’re not real journalists.”
“And there are fewer and fewer journalists worthy of the name. These days, anyone wakes up, writes a blog, and they’re a journalist. And those are the ones who don’t understand really what journalism is. They are more fans of journalists. They are the ones who will create false expectations and do damage. That’s all.
“But internally they know. Alonso knows what he has to do now […] to show that he is still a cut above. Like he did when he was at Ferrari and Ferrari wasn’t a winning car.”
-“Like he did at McLaren, when the McLaren was a dog, had a horrible engine, and he still managed to fight like crazy. It was impressive. If he keeps doing that, so they’ll keep him because that means the day the car can win, he’ll be there.”
Villeneuve is not sure that Verstappen wants to join Aston Martin, because the team does not have the image of the top teams: “Lawrence Stroll would need someone very mentally strong and very determined to replace Fernando Alonso.”
“Max Verstappen would be the type to wonder what his next step is. You win with Ferrari, you win with Mercedes, not with Aston Martin. Like Lewis Hamilton, he wants to win.”
