Aston Martin reels from poor start, holds crisis meeting

Five races into the 2025 Formula 1 season, Aston Martin’s lofty ambitions have collided head-on with a harsh reality.

The Silverstone-based outfit – armed with new facilities, restructured leadership, and the design genius of Adrian Newey – has yet to deliver on its potential.

Instead, the team has slipped further from the sharp end of the grid, prompting what team principal Andy Cowell described as a crisis meeting following another underwhelming race weekend in Saudi Arabia.

“We’re getting together to have a think about what we’ve learned over this triple-header, and [ask] what do we do going forward?” Cowell revealed post-race.

“Can we get more out of the car? Yes, I think we can.”

Another Race, Another Struggle

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix marked yet another weekend of struggle for the once-resurgent team. Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion and one of the sport’s most consistent performers, could only manage 11th – his second time finishing just outside the points this season.

The two-time world champion’s comments painted a sobering picture of where things stand.

“I gave everything on track. It was hard to keep up the pace with the cars in front. We were just not quick enough,” Alonso admitted.

“P11 is the worst position probably you can finish and we need to get used to it. It’s going to be difficult to score points this year.”

Despite starting the year with a glimmer of hope, with Lance Stroll finishing sixth in the rain-soaked Australian opener, Aston Martin has quickly found itself mired in mediocrity.

Across five rounds, the team has managed just two points-scoring finishes, and only one top-10 qualifying result – also courtesy of Stroll in Shanghai’s sprint shootout.

Alonso offered further context to the result in Jeddah, emphasizing that only luck, not pace, had kept them within reach of the top ten.

“Today we are P11 also because Yuki [Tsunoda] and Gasly had contact in lap one and Liam [Lawson] had a 10-second penalty. If not, we were P14. But there’s still a long way to go.”

“We Can Push Forward a Bit More”: Hope Amid the Struggles

Despite the dire start, Cowell remains cautiously optimistic. The newly-built Aston Martin wind tunnel, the much-hyped crown jewel of the team's infrastructure upgrade, is finally operational.

And Cowell, brought in to reshape the technical direction of the team, believes they are learning valuable lessons – even if they come the hard way.

“I think there’s many areas where we look back over the last races and [think] we can get more out of the car,” he said.

“Is it enough to win races? No. But is it where we can push forward a bit more? Yes, it is. We’re learning about this car, and we’re learning about all the new equipment that we’ve got in the factory, and how to push things forward.”

Still, with the AMR25 showing few signs of upward trajectory, much hope is being placed on 2026 and the new era of regulations.

That’s where the team’s new recruit, design legend Adrian Newey, is focusing his attention. For now, he remains hands-off with the current car.

“100% of Adrian’s designing time is focused on ’26,” Cowell confirmed ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP.

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Alonso, ever the pragmatist, supports that approach despite the current struggles.

“I think ultimately it’s his decision,” he said when asked if Newey should get involved with the AMR25.

“He has enough experience, knowledge and background to know what is best. And I think he’s working only on 2026, so if he’s deciding that, I totally support that.”

Whether Monday’s crisis meeting will spark a new development direction or shift the internal priorities remains to be seen.

But one thing is clear: if Aston Martin is to salvage its 2025 campaign, it must do more than talk. The time for results is now.

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