Aston Martin now have Ferrari’s infamous ‘toxic blame culture’ after making Honda a ‘scapegoat’

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Aston Martin are making Honda the ‘scapegoat’ for their problems at the 2026 F1 pre-season Bahrain test, but the blame for their woes is being spread around their factory.

The Silverstone squad believed that the 2026 F1 regulations would offer them a route to the very front of the field. So, team owner Lawrence Stroll bet heavily on building a new factory, and he jumped at his chance to get Adrian Newey to join Aston Martin after he left Red Bull.

Aston Martin even agreed to an exclusive engine partnership with Honda once the Japanese giant U-turned on their decision to withdraw from F1 due to the new regulations. Yet Honda having to rebuild their F1 engine programme and Newey’s arrival helped put Honda behind.

Newey asked Honda to change “almost everything” about Aston Martin’s engine, as he was determined to implement his design concepts for the AMR26 once he joined in March 2025. And the two pre-season tests in Bahrain now suggest Aston Martin are the worst team in F1.

Aston Martin have now developed the same ‘toxic blame culture’ that Ferrari are renowned for

Honda’s battery repeatedly failing in Bahrain forced Aston Martin to end the second test in Sakhir early, having completed the fewest laps by any team at 334. Aston Martin’s 2026 F1 car suffers from a lack of grip, and it encountered thermal management problems, as well.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and aero regulations

Honda have since identified the vibrations that Aston Martin’s car created while running on track as the cause for their battery issues in Bahrain. But ESPN claims that Aston Martin are simply making Honda the ‘scapegoat’ for their troubles, as their problems run a lot deeper.

Aston Martin have even developed the same ‘toxic blame culture’ that Ferrari are notorious for, with the buck passed around their factory in Silverstone for the AMR26 appearing to be worse than the package that Cadillac have developed ahead of the American outfit’s debut.

There is even said to be a ‘leadership vacuum’ in Silverstone thanks to Stroll’s ‘trigger-happy hiring habits’, which included making Newey a 5% shareholder in the Aston Martin F1 team. Newey initially joined as the managing technical partner, but is also now the team principal.

Adrian Newey must take more responsibility for Aston Martin’s dire start to 2026

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While Honda have shouldered a lot of the blame for Aston Martin’s problems at the second pre-season test in Bahrain, Newey also needs to take a lot of responsibility for the AMR26’s expected place at the rear of the field when the 2026 season starts in Australia on March 8.

The paddock left Sakhir believing that Aston Martin’s 2026 Honda engine is overweight and clearly underpowered. But the Silverstone crew cannot just blame Honda for all of the four-second a lap deficit that Lance Stroll fears they face to the quickest team’s cars after testing.

Newey has no miracle solution for Aston Martin’s lack of speed, which his designs played a big part in. The AMR26 has not shown the downforce levels they expected, and Newey put Aston Martin months behind schedule by making them redesign their car when he arrived.