Aston Martin captured the paddock’s attention when the AMR26 made its debut in the Barcelona shakedown. The audacious design of the British team’s 2026 challenger triggered intense discussion across the F1 world.
Aside from the AMR26’s more radical design aspects, the fact is was designed by Adrian Newey obviously contributed to the buzz surrounding this package.
Of course, such excitement can turn into something far less pleasant if expectations do not match reality. As it stands, Aston Martin find themselves under heavy scrutiny, with Bahrain testing painting a very worrying picture.
The question has quickly become if – and when – the team under Newey’s leadership can turn things around.
Diagnosing the many problems at Aston Martin
No team will be completely satisfied with their 2026 cars during these Bahrain tests. Even the likes of Ferrari or Mercedes, who have enjoyed smooth running and competitive times, are looking for improvement in all areas.
For manufacturer teams (a category Aston Martin have joined thanks to their Honda deal) there is a battle on two fronts.
Aside from generating more downforce and aerodynamic efficiency, Aston’s responsibilities include the optimisation of their Honda power unit.
Unfortunately for the duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, there are many problems to resolve. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the AMR26’s various reliability problems have put a spotlight on the Honda engine.
Indeed, the Japanese power unit is behind in several steps behind virtually all parameters.
Initially, the relatively low speeds being registered in the speed traps could be put down to a cautious approach. Aston and Honda were very tentative in their first days of testing to gradually turn up their power unit.
However, at some point, it is necessary to push the limits. After multiple weeks of testing, not only are Aston Martin uncomfortable in turning up the Honda power unit – but even at maximum power the engine is lacking.
In terms of raw horsepower and brute performance, Honda are losing several tenths per lap to the other manufacturers. However, this is only the beginning of their dilemma.
The tests in Bahrain have increasingly exposed the Honda power unit’s electrical inefficiency.
Compared to other engines, Honda is poor at recycling and harvesting electrical energy. This means that the AMR26 runs out of energy deployment far more quickly than other cars.
Of course, even at full strength, the Japanese motor fails to deliver the same peak performance of its competitors. As a result, there is a substantial deficit on two fronts, which will require time to rectify.
Honda are understood to be working on an upgraded power unit, which should resolve some of the existing limitations. Unfortunately for Aston, this new engine could take several months to arrive.
For the foreseeable future, Aston are likely to carry a huge performance deficit from their engine alone. This is without mentioning their reliability concerns, which are becoming more and more alarming.
Based on the evidence and sample size currently available, completing a race distance will be a great challenge.
The AMR26 is yet to complete a race simulation, and testing so far does not suggest Aston can rely on a clean final day of testing tomorrow.
Typically, pre-season allows teams to find problems and make adjustments to fix them. At Aston Martin, they are encountering new issues before they have time to verify previous solutions.
Despite all this, the Honda engine is just one of Aston Martin’s extensive list of problems… (cont. on next page)