Newey explains how he 'tries to get inside the heads' of F1 drivers after 'extensive' discussions with them

The 66-year-old joined Aston Martin as a designer after leaving Red Bull Racing following the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, making the move to the British team to design the car for the 2026 season with the major overhaul of regulations.

Since coming into the team, there has been a "tremendous influence from the master designer said Team Ambassador Pedro de la Rosa, saying that "everybody" wants to work with the Brit.

Before racing gets back underway at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Newey has discussed how he attempts to understand the drivers' thinking as he continues to work on next year's Aston Martin machine, emphasising that the drivers, in this case Stroll and Alonso, play a key role in the feedback process.

“I've spoken extensively to both Fernando and Lance in terms of their input on the strengths and weaknesses of the current car, the correlation between the car and the driver, and the loop simulator, etc., etc.", Newey said before the teams and drivers take to the iconic Imola circuit.

"So drivers are an essential part of the feedback loop of how you modify the engineering organisation and the way you go about things,” continued the 66-year-old.

"So you have to go through, you have to try to get they've change their driving style. So you have to go through, you have to try to get inside their head a little bit at times," concluded Newey