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Aston Martin expected more from Adrian Newey’s first 2026 design, Spanish F1 commentator Antonio Lobato says. Newey’s move to the Silverstone outfit last year generated enormous hype.
It had been nearly 20 years since Newey, the long-serving Red Bull designer, had changed teams. He thought up eight title-winning cars during his time at Milton Keynes.
But Aston Martin’s start to 2026, with Newey at the helm as team principal, has been disastrous. Lance Stroll estimates that the AMR26 is currently four seconds off the pace.
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While problems with the Honda engine are well documented, Newey can’t just point the finger at the Japanese manufacturer.
Aston Martin had to make emergency chassis changes in Bahrain last week to avoid overheating as Newey’s extreme choices backfired, and trackside observers say that the car has looked more difficult to drive than any other.
Aston Martin expected more from Adrian Newey’s design
Speaking on El Partidazo de COPE, DAZN’s Lobato said that Aston Martin expected a more functional offering from Newey.
Newey has been positive in the face of Aston’s early crisis and apparently made a reassuring speech to staff in Bahrain. He is optimistic that he can solve the problems with his chassis before the first round in Australia.
Having previously worked in relative isolation, Newey has to prove he can succeed as a team boss. He will face more media scrutiny than ever if Aston Martin fall short of expectations throughout the season.
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“Adrian Newey’s chassis has left them a little disappointed because they expected it to work and it is not working as well as they wanted it to, that is true,” Lobato said.
“Adrian Newey has said he knows where the problem lies and the wind tunnel will start working to solve this problem, and in Australia this will not be an issue.”
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Newey is ‘delegating’ engine problems to other members of staff while he focuses on aerodynamics. But even when he unlocks the potential of his radical design, Honda may continue to hold Aston Martin back.
In addition being overweight, the engine is unreliable, which explains why the team propped up the lap count in the first test. The ongoing interruptions will hurt them across the board.
Lobato explained: “The engine is between five and ten kilos overweight, and the problem they’ve had here in Bahrain is that they can’t run.
“They wanted to run and test aerodynamic things and Honda engine maps, but they can’t do it because they have hydraulic fluid leaks and ERS failures, so every few minutes they have to stop, and it’s a disaster, a real disaster.”
Lawrence Stroll is said to be angry about the situation, predictably so after his immense investment. Aston Martin may regret ending their Mercedes engine partnership, even if the fuel compression ratio debate is giving the Silver Arrows some problems of their own.
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