Adrian Newey will be delighted with FIA’s cost cap measures as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GP cancelled

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Adrian Newey has been scrambling to find ways to improve Aston Martin’s fortunes in 2026, and suddenly, he has been handed a lifeline by the FIA.

The Silverstone outfit have not completed a race yet in 2026. Honda’s power unit is desperately underpowered, while significant vibration issues are a major safety concern, to the point that Fernando Alonso was taking his hands off the steering wheel in Shanghai.

Aston Martin are miles off the pace this season, with no real sign of that improving anytime soon. However, they have just been given a boost from events out of their control.

F1 have confirmed that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Alternative tracks were considered, but in the end, the calendar will drop from 24 races to 22.

Naturally, this has major implications for the championship, particularly regarding upgrades. The FIA are planning a rule change to the ADUO, which aims to give teams more chances to improve the power unit if they are falling behind – this greatly benefits Aston Martin.

With two fewer races, the FIA will bring forward opportunities to introduce upgrades in 2026, which Honda and Aston Martin desperately need. It gets even better for the two parties, as there are no cost cap implications.

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GP cancellations do not affect the FIA cost cap

Newey had been pushing for a cost cap exception from the FIA for Honda to improve their engines. He now has his wish with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia dropping off the calendar.

As journalist Mat Coch posted on X (formerly Twitter), the cost cap, set at $215 million, or roughly £161 million, is only adjusted if the calendar exceeds 24 races. That figure is fixed for ’24 Competitions or fewer’.

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With Bahrain and Saudi Arabia cancelled, teams will be able to spend an additional $1.8 million per round, or roughly £1.3 million, for the rest of the season. Coch also notes that the power unit cost cap is the same, only the budget for that is around £97 million.

Of course, this greatly benefits all F1 teams and manufacturers, as they now have more room and budget to spend on improving the power units for the rest of the season. But with Aston Martin’s dire situation, they surely benefit the most.

These implications will be music to Newey’s ears, as he now has more money to put into improving Honda’s engine and the AMR26. It could be critical for Aston Martin’s campaign.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Aston Martin F1 team principal Adrian Newey

Is it already too late for Adrian Newey at Aston Martin?

Newey is under a lot of pressure at Silverstone, with the 66-year-old taking up the role of team principal as well as having a key role in designing and developing the AMR26.

After two disastrous weekends in Australia and China, team owner Lawrence Stroll is already regretting appointing Newey as team principal. The situation has left the Canadian thinking about major changes to the project.

Reports are suggesting that Stroll is already looking to replace Newey as team principal. Of course, he will remain at Aston Martin as a key figure and shareholder, but with the FIA’s cost cap and ADUO changes, it may be too late for the Brit to improve the situation on track himself.