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Aston Martin’s 2026 project has got off to a disastrous start, but staff are worried about saying how they really feel about the team for fear of being ‘sacked’.
From the start of pre-season, Aston Martin have had a ‘funeral’ atmosphere. The AMR26 is desperately underpowered and unreliable, thanks to severe vibration issues and their poor Honda engines.
Has Lawrence Stroll made too many changes at Aston Martin?
Aston Martin have huge resources at their disposal, with owner Lawrence Stroll investing heavily in the team in recent months. The recruitment of Adrian Newey and Honda looked to be all they needed to succeed in 2026, but instead, they are stuck at the back of the grid.
The situation does not seem to be improving anytime soon, with Aston Martin set to delay upgrades until the summer break. The mood within the team is not getting better either, especially as staff cannot say how they really feel.
READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Aston Martin staff are afraid they’ll be ‘sacked’ if they say what they really think of the team
Under Stroll’s regime, Aston Martin have seen multiple personnel changes in the past year. Jonathan Wheatley’s appointment as team principal from Audi would mark their third boss since 2025, with Newey and Andy Cowell both having stepped back from the role.
Rumours of fallings-out behind the scenes give the impression that there is a toxic atmosphere around the team, and staff can do little to stand up to it. Journalist Julianne Cerasoli says staff fear for their jobs if they speak up about the team’s problems.
She told UOL Esporte: “Well, the problem at Aston Martin is largely down to management; when the owner isn’t really emotionally invested in the business, no one can tell him: ‘No, you’re wrong, you have to do this.’
“So he has to choose people who will just agree with him. They aren’t the best people for each of the roles. That makes the situation more complicated.
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“In a Formula 1 team, someone has to rub salt into the wound there, and no one can do that. And that’s why there have been loads and loads of changes in the top management. And when you have that sort of management up there, it’s complicated.
“The rest of the team won’t function properly. And the whole world changing roles, because everyone realises, right? ‘If I say what I think here, I’ll be sacked, so I’m not going to say anything.”
Aston Martin investors are ‘losing faith’ in the project as the British manufacturer faces huge financial losses. Stroll is under pressure to fix the situation, but some within the team are beginning to think that he might be the issue.
Shareholders are looking to ‘review’ Stroll’s power over the team, pointing to his management style as a key issue. His constant changing of personnel is certainly not what Aston Martin need as they sit at the back of the F1 grid in 2026.
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