Adrian Newey has voiced his support for Lance Stroll, describing the Aston Martin driver as far more capable than his critics suggest.
During his first race weekend with the Silverstone-based team in Monaco, the newly appointed managing technical partner backed Stroll following another difficult outing at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix — one that included a costly mistake in practice and a grid penalty.
“Lance, I think, has an unfairly bad rap,” Newey said while speaking to reporters at the Monaco paddock. “When you compare him against teammates he’s been up against – Checo [Sergio Perez], Nico Hulkenberg, Sebastian [Vettel] and now Fernando [Alonso] – then he’s been right there.”
Stroll has faced ongoing scrutiny since debuting in Formula 1 in 2017, with many suggesting his place in the sport is largely due to his father Lawrence Stroll’s ownership of the Aston Martin team. But Newey, who has led title-winning technical projects at Red Bull, McLaren, and Williams, dismissed the idea that Stroll doesn’t deserve his seat.
“Any driver who gets to Formula 1 is clearly very good, but I think Lance is much better than people give him credit for,” Newey admitted.
Aston Martin admits fault after Stroll Monaco incident
Stroll’s Monaco weekend got off to a rough start after he collided with Charles Leclerc during Free Practice 1, forcing him to miss most of the session and damaging his gearbox and floor. While he was hit with a one-place grid penalty, his final qualifying position of 19th meant it made no difference to his starting slot.
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Andy Cowell, Aston Martin team principal, said the issue stemmed from poor communication on the pit wall. “Our radio call wasn’t clear enough, is the bottom line,” Cowell admitted. “So we need to learn from that. Rear wishbone broken, damage to the floor.
“And so the best option is to change the gearbox, because we set up two gearboxes yesterday ready for that sort of scenario. And the downside is that Lance doesn’t get FP1 back. So it’s those laps that he’s missed.”
Despite missing valuable track time and struggling in qualifying, Stroll will still start ahead of Oliver Bearman, who was handed a 10-place grid penalty for a red flag infringement. Still, the incident has amplified long-standing doubts about Stroll’s performance ceiling, particularly alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.
Newey relishes chance to work with Alonso
While defending Stroll, Newey also expressed his admiration for Alonso, calling the Spaniard one of the few drivers he’s always wanted to work with. As Aston Martin begins to lay the foundations for its 2026 car under the incoming regulations, Alonso — whose contract is expected to extend beyond 2025 — will play a key role in development.
“Fernando, he’s such a cool character,” Newey said. “He’s been an enemy for many years, along with Lewis [Hamilton]. I think I’ve said before that you can only work with so many drivers, but two drivers I always wanted – the brothers from the modern era that I felt I would enjoy working with – were Lewis and Fernando, and I couldn’t work with both, so at least I’ve got one of them.”
As Newey begins his Aston Martin chapter, his praise for both Alonso and Stroll could hint at stability in the team’s future driver line-up — and a clear vision for 2026. While the spotlight remains on Stroll’s on-track form, Newey’s endorsement may help shift the narrative surrounding a driver who continues to divide opinion in the F1 world.
