Adrian Newey is hiding from the media as Aston Martin decide to write off the 2026 season

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Adrian Newey needs to face up to the media scrutiny after Aston Martin’s disastrous pre-season.

Aston Martin were late to the Barcelona Shakedown and only completed 203 laps at the first Bahrain test, comfortably the fewest of any team. If anything, the second test at Sakhir has been a step backwards.

After on-track stoppages and limited running on the first two days, Honda released a statement on Friday morning confirming that they would be restricted to short stints due to a battery issue.

When the car has been on track, the lap times have only added to the despair. One commentator even suggested that Aston Martin aren’t guaranteed to meet the 107% rule at the Australian Grand Prix with the top teams around three to four seconds ahead.

Adrian Newey is letting Pedro de la Rosa do the dirty work at Aston Martin

Aston Martin have had, by far, the worst winter of all the teams. Williams missed the Barcelona Shakedown entirely but have recovered with consistently healthy mileage in Bahrain.

Lawrence Stroll’s big-spending operation has been upstaged by Audi, who had never previously built an F1 power unit, and the brand-new Cadillac team.

In dire circumstances like this, it falls to the team principal to take accountability in the media. They must be willing to answer difficult questions, particularly with so many fans demanding an explanation.

But Newey has instead allowed team ambassador Pedro de la Rosa to face the scrutiny. Aston Martin shared a message from De la Rosa on their social media channels on Friday, with the Spaniard laying out the team’s plan for the end of the test and the build-up to Australia.

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This is exactly what the boss should be doing, but instead De la Rosa has become the team’s spokesman throughout the week. Newey has effectively hidden from the media, remaining on the pit wall, in the garage or at team hospitality.

Clearly, it will benefit Aston Martin if the 67-year-old is as focused as possible on the task at hand. But he fought hard for power at the team, very nearly driving out Andy Cowell in the process, and needs to accept the obligations that come with it.

Newey made a speech to Aston Martin staff last week that was designed to keep them motivated. But aside from that, it looks as if the team lack a genuine leader precisely at the moment they need one most.

Aston Martin don’t expect to be challengers until 2028

Even before testing, there were some whispers that Newey wasn’t expecting success in 2026. The timeline has now changed again.

ESPN journalist Nate Saunders has been told that the team are effectively writing off 2026, which they now consider a ‘test year’. Newey’s arrival from Red Bull and the switch to Honda power has enforced a period of transition.

‘Suddenly’, the team aren’t expecting to become ‘challengers’ until 2027 or ‘more likely’ 2028. That may be too long for Fernando Alonso, who turns 45 this year, to wait.

Stroll and Aston Martin have been looking towards these rule changes for years as their opportunity to become bonafide frontrunners. It now looks like they won’t achieve that status until midway through the ruleset at the earliest.