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Adrian Newey and Honda now disagree with Lawrence Stroll about the idea of Aston Martin writing off the 2026 F1 season after three rounds due to their wretched start.
Aston Martin team owner Stroll identified the 2026 F1 regulations as the Silverstone squad’s route to the front of the grid years in advance, and he went out of his way to land Newey for his design genius. Aston Martin and Honda also agreed to an exclusive engine deal for 2026.
But all of the pieces of the puzzle have not fit into place like anyone at Aston Martin wanted. The AMR26 is the worst car on the 2026 grid, while Honda’s unreliable engine has even seen Fernando Alonso finish one of the three Grands Prix and Lance Stroll has yet to finish a race.
Alonso finally made a chequered flag on Honda’s literal home soil at Suzuka last time out, as he earned P18 in the Japanese Grand Prix. GPS data shows Aston Martin’s car would be 2.3s faster if they still had a Mercedes engine, yet more than half of their deficit is due to the car.
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Adrian Newey and Honda will not write off Aston Martin’s 2026 F1 season yet
Newey’s aggressive aerodynamic concept has not produced the downforce he wanted, and Aston Martin’s chassis is even overweight. Yet Motorsport.com reports that while Stroll has already deemed 2026 a transitional year at Aston Martin, Newey and Honda will not give in.
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Honda’s 2026 regulations engine is estimated to lack nearly 95hp, and they are also unlikely to introduce any performance upgrades before the summer break. But Honda think they can now mitigate the vibrations that their V6 internal combustion engine (ICE) has so far caused.
Newey will also do ‘everything he can’ to ensure that Aston Martin develop the AMR26 and have a car they can be proud of by the end of 2026. He has too much ‘pride’ to just throw in the towel after three rounds, unlike Stroll who cannot overlook the AMR26’s shortcomings.
So, Newey will not give up and intends to work on how the AMR26 behaves in medium and high-speed corners. Aston Martin’s dreary start to the 2026 F1 season has already damaged the team’s reputation, but Newey and Honda aim to overcome the mess they have created.
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Aston Martin’s struggles have put Charles Leclerc off a move in 2027, as well, as any hope of seeing the Ferrari star switch to Silverstone is now said to have ‘evaporated into thin air’. Yet Alonso is now expected to agree a new contract for Aston Martin, to avoid retiring on a low.
Two-time F1 champion Alonso is currently due to be out of contract at the close of 2026. So, Aston Martin had identified Leclerc as a potential dream target to lead them into the future. But Ferrari have started the new regulations positively, and Aston Martin face a year of pain.
Alonso and Stroll sit rooted to the bottom of the F1 drivers’ standings, as neither has beaten the best finishes of their point-less rivals. Nico Hulkenberg took P11 in China and Japan, Alex Albon got P12 in Australia, Valtteri Bottas got P13 in China and Sergio Perez got P15 in China.
Alonso at least finished in front of Bottas and Albon at Suzuka, albeit after Williams turned Albon’s race into an extended test. Stroll only completed 30 laps in Japan, to add to his 43 laps in Australia and nine laps in China through the first three Grands Prix of the campaign.
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