Aston Martin boss gives one word-answer when asked if they can win 2026 world championship

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Aston Martin have what it takes to become Formula 1’s newest contender. They’ve completed a world-class engineering team by signing iconic designer Adrian Newey from Red Bull.

Newey’s move to the Silverstone outfit was made official at a press conference on Tuesday. He will team up with former Red Bull aerodynamicist Dan Fallows and ex-Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile.

Lawrence Stroll is paying Newey £30m a year, inclusive of bonuses, and he’ll expect a chassis that can at the very least match the current ‘big four’. Aston are also in a strong position engine-wise.

While Mercedes, their current power unit suppliers, are expected to be highly competitive, Stroll sees more potential in an exclusive partnership with Honda. Andy Cowell, who oversaw the Silver Arrows’ facility at Brixworth, will head up that integration.

That just leaves the drivers. Lance Stroll hasn’t shown enough to suggest that he can be anything more than a supporting player, though that may change if he has a race-winning car.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso should be able to maximise Newey’s machinery as he pursues a historic third title deep into his 40s. Aston Martin could also attract Carlos Sainz in 2026 using their improved pulling power.

Mike Krack believes Aston Martin can win the title in 2026 after signing Adrian Newey

During an interview on the Fast and the Curious podcast, host Christian Hewgill asked Aston team principal Mike Krack whether they could win the championship as early as 2026. There will be major changes to the Formula 1 regulations in 18 months, potentially triggering a competitive reshuffle.

“2026 Mike – can Aston Martin win the Formula 1 world championship?” Hewgill asked.

“Yes,” Krack said. “You said ‘can’, I said ‘yes’.”

Aston are looking to break the Red Bull and Mercedes duopoly that has lasted since the end of 2009. Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have won 13 of the 14 titles since, with Nico Rosberg taking the other.

Across two stints in Formula 1, the first of which began in 1959, the British team have failed to win a single race. They have taken nine podiums, most recently through Alonso in Brazil last year.

Ted Kravitz pinpoints ‘the only problem’ for Adrian Newey at Aston Martin

Aston looked to be on the verge of winning races in 2023 when they started the year as the nearest challengers to Verstappen and Red Bull. But they fell away after the summer break and haven’t returned to that level since.

In fact, they’ve only scored 74 points in the first 16 races of 2024, putting them on course for around 111 by the end of the campaign. That would be a drop of 60.4% from last year as they limp towards a lonely fifth-place finish.

The major source of optimism is the upcoming rule changes. However, Ted Kravitz believes Newey’s impact may be limited because the power unit will be the ‘dominant’ factor in a team’s performance.

As well as Newey, Cardile will be under ‘a lot of pressure’ from Stroll. The new structure looks impressive on paper, but the personalities must mesh for it to work in practice.