James Vowles just made a brilliant point after one Adrian Newey concept on Aston Martin’s new F1 car

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Aston Martin’s new F1 car for the upcoming season of racing was arguably the most highly anticipated challenger of pre-season, and it has now garnered the attention of everybody in the paddock.

Following development delays that hindered Aston Martin’s arrival at F1’s inaugural shakedown week in Barcelona, the AMR26 was finally unveiled on the fourth day of testing.

A number of Adrian Newey’s concepts have been in the spotlight since the new era of Aston Martin first took to the track, and the design genius has been hailed for his originality by former F1 designer Gary Anderson.

However, the overriding sentiment heading into Newey’s first full season with the Silverstone-based outfit was that he would be the key to unlocking the true potential of Aston Martin’s efforts in F1.

Things haven’t quite gone to plan, though. As well as the testing delays, Honda’s F1 engine isn’t in an optimal state, and the car is currently overweight when compared to their rivals across the pitlane.

• READ MORE: Martin Brundle suspects Adrian Newey may have been responsible for Aston Martin car delays

Fill in the blank: Aston Martin will finish P_ in the 2026 F1 standings

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James Vowles shares his uncertainty towards Aston Martin’s new suspension

During the official launch event of Williams’ 2026 F1 car, team principal of the Grove-based outfit, James Vowles, shared his apprehension about the way that Newey has designed the AMR26’s suspension, while still labelling it as ‘impressive’.

Vowles told journalists, via Mundo Deportivo, “I mean, it’s really impressive. Adrian Newey is a creative designer, and it’s really impressive what he’s done with the swing arms in places where I don’t think they should be, but he’s managed it.

“However, the interesting thing is that that’s exactly what’s needed as a narrative. As I mentioned before, it’s difficult for anyone to tell you what the order is, because I don’t think the cars you see today are necessarily the ones you’ll see in Melbourne either.

“And that’s what makes it interesting at the start of the season. So I’ve been impressed, but I’ll have to see where everyone ends up.”

The suspension that Vowles is alluding to is understood to be a concept that Newey enhanced from his most successful F1 car ever: the Red Bull RB19.

However, there are several differing factors that render his previous success with the design philosophy obsolete, including the completely different regulations that are now in effect, which include a new-look chassis that necessitates a new gearbox to fit around it.

• READ MORE: Adrian Newey told Honda have now ‘run out of time’ to finish Aston Martin’s 2026 F1 engine

Why James Vowles makes a brilliant point about Adrian Newey’s work

While Newey’s status as the most successful designer in F1’s history cannot be understated at all, the Briton’s design prowess in previous years certainly doesn’t make the AMR26 a competitor from the get-go.

Despite being one of the most revered aerodynamicists in the paddock, the prior ground effect regulations worked superbly in Newey’s favour after he previously found success with them at the beginning of his career.

What’s more, Rob Marshall was arguably an equally integral part of Newey’s chassis team as the design genius himself.

Marshall’s own prowess is evident through the success that McLaren achieved upon his arrival at Woking at the beginning of 2024.

It’s clear that Newey is trying something completely out of the box for Aston Martin in F1’s new era, and Vowles’ apprehension to blindly praise the designer can be seen as a telling argument against why he will bring immediate success to the team.