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Aston Martin were destined to struggle in the 2026 Formula 1 season after Adrian Newey spotted a crucial error in the AMR26’s development.
Prior to the 2026 campaign, a lot was expected of Aston Martin after the heavy investment from owner Lawrence Stroll and the high-profile signing of Newey.
The 67-year-old is often labelled as the best designer in F1 history, having provided the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen with championship-winning cars.
However, the Newey era has disappointed so far this season as the AMR26 continues to be problematic.
It has been well documented that Aston Martin have experienced intense vibrations from the Honda-powered engine, causing issues for both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
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Aston Martin were destined to struggle in 2026 after development error
Before the AMR26’s problems were laid out on the track, it appears that things were already going wrong behind the scenes.
According to Spanish news outlet AS, there were multiple delays in the development of the AMR26.
For example, the wait for Newey to arrive and take over the crucial phase of the design meant Aston Martin were already on the back foot.
In addition, it has been claimed that the delay was ‘aggravated’ when Newey decided to ‘rethink the calibrations of the wind tunnel’ due to the correlation being ‘not right’.
It looks like Aston Martin were already struggling from the get-go, which makes their early-season problems in 2026 more understandable.
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Can Aston Martin turn things around during the remainder of the 2026 season?
With Newey at the helm and the experience of Alonso in the driving seat, it would be wrong to write Aston Martin off already.
However, one thing is clear: the project has not started the way anyone expected, and the whole team will have to take some blame.
However, the current break will have come at a perfect time for the Silverstone-based outfit as they can work around the clock to make improvements to the AMR26.
Next month’s Miami Grand Prix will be the first opportunity for Aston Martin to test whether the work done over the break has improved performance.
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