Aston Martin face six-month gearbox redesign as 2026 high-rev requirements test ‘fragile’ part

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Formula 1 experts believe it could take six months for Aston Martin to replace their gearbox as it appears to be struggling with the demands of the 2026 cars.

Aston Martin appear to be in a world of trouble after the first pre-season test in Bahrain and the shakedown in Barcelona.

Fernando Alonso couldn’t hide his frustration with the car, and Lance Stroll was the only driver who failed to complete more than 100 laps across the first three days in Bahrain.

Name the one driver you think is most likely to lose their F1 seat in 2026 👇

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There are plenty of reasons why Aston Martin’s car might not be up to scratch, with Honda’s power unit costing the team time on every lap due to its underperformance.

However, a trend that’s emerged over the past week is the high revs needed to recharge the battery on every lap, and this added strain on the gearbox is putting Aston Martin under even more pressure.

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Aston Martin’s ‘fragile’ 2026 gearbox struggling with the high-rev demands of F1 testing

A report from MARCA has shared more details about just how much trouble Adrian Newey’s team are in ahead of next month’s Australian Grand Prix.

After Aston Martin switched from a Mercedes power unit to working with Honda this year, it meant that they could no longer use the Silver Arrows’ gearbox.

Unfortunately, this is exactly the wrong time to be building a new gearbox for the first time, given the new regulations and the unprecedented demand being put on them by drivers who are dropping down into first gear to charge up their batteries.

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It’s believed that Aston Martin’s gearbox is ‘too fragile to withstand this massive negative torque demand’ and F1 experts have told MARCA that rebuilding the part would take six months.

On top of this, Aston Martin face an ‘added complication’ as after the final test in Bahrain, they must submit their development schedule for the gearbox sprockets that are going to be used for the rest of the season.

Therefore, Aston Martin will have to fine-tune their car without all the information needed, and because no other team uses their gearbox or power unit, they have no data to compare it to.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

Aston Martin facing homologation deadline on Honda power unit before the 2026 season

Although the gearbox is just another issue that Newey and his team have to deal with in the coming weeks and months, the main problem appears to be the power unit.

Honda may have built the worst of the five engines on the grid this year, which, considering they’re up against newcomers Red Bull-Ford and Audi, is a real concern.

MARCA reports that Honda’s PU has ‘massive vibrations when revving up’, which could be gearbox-related, but with the homologation deadline coming up on March 1st, it’s believed that it will be ‘impossible’ for a new engine to be built before the first race in Australia.

Honda’s GPS data made for worrying reading, and while engineers in Japan are ‘working around the clock’ to bring improvements, Aston Martin may only benefit from them at the Canadian Grand Prix due to an FIA rule allowing teams who are lagging behind to bring updates.

The more likely scenario is that Aston Martin will have to wait until 2027 for Honda to get up to speed, while Newey concentrates on reducing the car’s weight, a lack of cooling solutions and the AMR26’s aerodynamic efficiency.