Aston Martin are not traditionally front-runners in Formula 1, but they have received just as much scrutiny as the big teams during the off-season. This can be attributed to Adrian Newey’s presence, with the 67-year-old overseeing the design and development of the AMR26.
Within minutes of going on track in Barcelona, images of the AMR26 were already being hyper-scrutinised. There will undoubtedly be a similar intrigue surrounding the team when Bahrain testing commences.
For obvious seasons, the Aston Martin project is seen as one with immense potential. Despite this, team principal Adrian Newey warns that the beginning of the season could be tricky.
Newey outlines Aston Martin’s starting point
There can be no questioning the investment into Aston Martin’s facilities and infrastructure. Their 2026 challenger has been developed with a new simulator and new wind tunnel – which both came online last year.
In combination with the insights of top designers in Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile, the ambitions at the Silverstone factory are clear.
With that said, there are still some big question marks surrounding the team. Perhaps the biggest question is whether Newey’s inclusion into the squad – and by extension their 2026 development – started too late.
Due to the timing of his Red Bull departure, the 67-year-old could only begin work at Aston Martin in early April. Whilst still early enough to completely guide the team’s 2026 design, this arrival was a few months later than the team would have liked.
By extension, the integration of the Honda engine remains a huge unknown. The Japanese manufacturer’s multiple title successes with Red Bull leave no room to question their competency and potential to deliver a top power unit.
However, much like Newey’s inclusion, their preparations towards 2026 started slightly later than some of the other manufacturers.
Considering all these factors, Adrian Newey has painted a cautious picture heading into the first round in Australia:
“We got in the tunnel mid to late April, as opposed to January 2 for everybody else. But more than that, everybody else has been working on their CFD and general layouts and mechanical layouts – way, way before us.
“So we’re starting on the back foot, and we’ll do our best to catch up,” Newey admitted.
“We’ve been working on updates initially for race one. And now thinking about subsequent updates, which is the nature of Formula 1 in any case.
“But also these are very new regulations, and a car that’s had a very compressed cycle.”
Emphasis on mid-season development
Even if Aston Martin believed the AMR26 could immediately challenge for wins, they would never admit so. After all, teams almost unanimously downplay expectations in the build-up to a new season.
Still, there can be no denying that Aston’s concerns are real. Many of the limitations in their 2026 preparations are easy to observe and trace. This means some of the more cautious quotes now emerging can be taken at face value.
However, it would still be a mistake to completely write the team off. Although their preparations for this year have been slightly delayed, the AMR26 that debuted in Barcelona already boasted some very sophisticated and unique components.
The 2022 regulations demonstrated the importance of getting the fundamentals right. Teams who started the ground-effect era without the correct fundamentals spent years playing catch-up.
It was Adrian Newey’s oversight at Red Bull that gave the Austrian team a strong platform in 2022 which, though not immediately dominant, facilitated their development in subsequent seasons.
Similarly, Aston Martin are optimistic that taking risks with the AMR26’s baseline design will pay dividends. Perhaps this will not translate into immediate lap-time. Regardless, there remains a clear belief that the British outfit can aggressively develop the car mid-season.
Main photo: Zak Mauger/LAT Images (Aston Martin F1 Team)