Adrian Newey and Fernando Alonso are trying to turn Aston Martin’s fortunes around
Aston Martin F1 boss Adrian Newey has admitted that the team’s drivers get ‘very frustrated’ if they feel like their concerns are not being listened to.
The Silverstone-based outfit have had a nightmare start to the 2026 season, struggling with reliability and performance concerns which have left Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll fighting at the back of the pack, if they have finished races at all.
Aston Martin have claimed just one point from the opening nine grand prix weekends of the season, hardly ideal for a team who harboured ambitions of challenging for the championship before the season began.
Aston Martin brought in design legend Newey in 2025, and also welcomed a new power unit partner in Honda. That new partnership has started horribly, while Newey’s start to life as Aston Martin team boss has done nothing to suggest that he will add to the 26 world championships that he has won across his career with his new team.
But, taking on both a managing technical partner role and a role as team principal, Newey has now revealed how important it is for Aston Martin to be listening to Stroll and Alonso, as they try to get to the bottom of the AMR26’s issues.
Two-time world champion Alonso is now 44 years of age, and is the most experienced F1 racer in the history of the sport.
Speaking to media at Aston Martin’s Silverstone factory prior to the British Grand Prix, Newey acknowledged it had been ‘extremely frustrating’ for Alonso and Stroll due to the issues with the AMR26 and the Honda power unit.
He said that he feels compelled to spend time “going through with both Fernando and Lance exactly what we’re doing, what we have planned with the upgrade package, what we have planned through going into the 2027 season.
“Whilst it might not seem like it, we are very much listening to their comments and trying to act upon it,” Newey continued.
“If people don’t feel as if they’re being heard then they of course get very frustrated; it’s human reactions.
“So perhaps we’ve been guilty of not spending enough time with Fernando and Lance, Jak [Crawford, reserve driver] here, kind of going through exactly what we are trying to achieve with the upgrade package.”
Formula 1 fans listen up! Heineken and F1 have announced their decision to renew the sport’s only season ticket for 2027, giving one lucky fan the chance to attend every single race next year.
What makes the opportunity so extraordinary is that the one-of-a-kind season ticket doesn’t just offer access to every single round on the calendar, it offers so much more.
Heineken and F1 are offering fans the chance to enter a competition to win the money-can’t-buy experience, which allows access to every grand prix for the winner and a plus one, as well as travel, accommodation, and some of the best grandstand seats also included.
In a video posted on social media, current Season Ticket holder Brandon Burgess (also known as Full Time Formula) called on the connections he’s made on his F1 journey since winning the very first season ticket, including four-time champion Max Verstappen and F1TV presenter Laura Winter.
In the video, Burgess and his new F1 network unpacked the crazy opportunity and explained that they are on the search to find the next season ticket holder.
To find out how to enter the competition for next year’s season ticket, check out the details below.
How to enter F1 season ticket competition for 2027
It’s very simple. The competition for 2027 is open to fans all over the world who are over the age of 25, with a simple sign up required to be in with a chance to set off on a year-long adventure to some of the sport’s most popular tracks and even some circuits that are returning for next year.
Reflecting on how the once in a lifetime experience has benefitted him so far in 2026, inaugural Heineken x F1 Season Ticket holder Brandon Burgess said: “It’s been amazing to see how many people have connected with my journey over the past 18 months. From the new friends I’ve met at races, to people on social media and a couple of famous faces too, I’ve been able to bond with so many people over our shared love of F1.
“Winning the Heineken x F1 Season Ticket was so surreal and I still can’t quite believe what an incredible opportunity I’ve been given. It’s a lot of pressure to pick the next holder of this coveted pass, but thankfully I’ve got some good friends I can call for a bit of help. I’m so excited to give someone else the opportunity to experience this crazy ride for themselves”
The competition is now open and fans all over the globe can enter here via F1 Unlocked to be in with the chance to win the Heineken x F1 Season Ticket for 2027.
Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.
Will Buxton, an F1 pundit and star of hit Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, caused havoc on social media this week by teasing an ‘absolutely massive’ motorsport announcement.
So, when Buxton took to ‘X’ on Monday morning to post: “Hearing a big announcement is on the way before the end of the day. If it is what I think it is, it’s absolutely massive,” naturally, most assumed it was about Verstappen and McLaren.
Now let’s be fair, Buxton was far from the only journalist to jump on the vague posting train and attempt to profit off of the engagement that such a tantalizing statement offered.
As social media was sent into a frenzy by posts like Buxton’s, it was soon revealed that the ‘massive’ news the Drive to Survive commentator was referring to wasn’t about Verstappen to McLaren.
In fact, it wasn’t even related to F1 at all.
Instead, Buxton, who frequents both the F1 and IndyCar professional media circles, had been teasing the confirmation that six-time champion Scott Dixon was leaving Ganassi for McLaren in the US racing series.
So, was Buxton’s post purely a coincidence or a tactical ploy to hype up the stateside news and his position as lead commentator for Fox Sports’ IndyCar coverage?
He claims it was accidental.
In a recent episode of the F1 Up to Speed podcast Buxton also appears on, the motorsport journalist has insisted he didn’t expect people to assume it was about Verstappen.
In a clip posted by the podcast, Buxton could be heard explaining himself as McLaren F1 legend David Coulthard listened, seemingly unconvinced by Buxton’s excuses.
“What I didn’t expect was for people to automatically assume it was about Max Verstappen,” Buxton began.
“And then McLaren announced it later on in the day, that sure enough, Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist, who won the Indy500, this year have moved to McLaren. And it’s big news in the IndyCar world.”
Coulthard remained sceptical, responding: “25 million people reacted to that.”
Buxton corrected his podcast co-host that his social media statement had actually increased up to 28 million at the time of recording.
“Oh my goodness, well I hadn’t checked since breakfast,” added Coulthard with just the right amount of sarcasm.
Attempting to justify his vague post, Buxton concluded: “The hope was that it would get eyeballs on this massive announcement for IndyCar.”
Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.
Clarkson’s Farm star and former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has hailed Max Verstappen as one of the nicest people both inside and outside of the F1 paddock.
The TV icon revealed this while a guest at Silverstone with the Alpine F1 team.
While heading off from Silverstone on the Sunday – 20 laps early to avoid the traffic – Clarkson revealed a particularly pleasant encounter he had with Verstappen.
The Dutchman has long been Public Enemy No. 1 for British fans, largely due to the 2021 season and how it ended. The Red Bull star of course had no say in how the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finished, I (sadly) feel obliged to point out.
Thankfully there are many Brits who even if they don’t support Verstappen and his antics on the race track, can separate the driver from the person.
But if there are some who still aren’t sure about the man, perhaps Clarkson’s words can help convince them.
“Last year, I was locked in a small room with Max Verstappen for two hours,” Clarkson recalled while leaving the British Grand Prix. “He’s a lovely guy, he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.”
The remarkable situation Clarkson refers to took place during last year’s race. At the time, both men had to wait until the traffic jams around the circuit had cleared – hence the 66-year-old’s decision to leave early.
To be fair to Jeremy, he did insist that he was turning off all social media to go and enjoy the race at home. Not that there was any doubting the man’s passion and love for all things F1, especially Silverstone.
Alpine and Clarkson’s Farm Silverstone partnership
Alpine enjoyed a double-points finish on Sunday, with Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly securing P9 and P10 respectively.
The pair were fuelled by some of Clarkson’s produce and it appears the partnership is growing from strength to strength.
Steve Nielsen, Alpine’s managing director, said of the partnership: “We are delighted to rely on Diddly Squat Farm to supply us with local farm food this weekend at Silverstone.
“As a team, we have enjoyed an excellent relationship with Jeremy Clarkson who has been very supportive of us for several years. It’s great that we are able to help promote British farming and highlight the importance of farming to the local area.
“Our base at Enstone is surrounded by farms so we are well aware and full of admiration for what farmers do in bringing food to our tables. It’s a special occasion to bring local food to Silverstone to keep our team and drivers well fed this weekend so thanks to Jeremy and the team at Diddly Squat Farm for their ongoing support.”
Meanwhile, Clarkson’s partner and co-founder of Diddly Squat Farm Lisa Hogan said: “It is with great pleasure to team up with our local F1 team at Silverstone this weekend.
“The British Grand Prix is one of the highlights on the British sporting calendar so to have Diddly Squat Farm Shop associated, and to play a small role, with the team this weekend is certainly quite special.
“We hope the team and its drivers enjoy some of our local produce and wish them a successful weekend on track.”