Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Bernie Collins discusses why Aston Martin have found themselves at the rear of the standings ahead of the opening race.
One of the major talking points at the rear end of the Formula 1 grid after pre-season testing came to an end was Aston Martin’s fall-off.
After finishing in seventh place in the 2025 Formula 1 constructor standings, Aston Martin would have been hopeful to make their way further up the order, but it has not worked that way.
The Silverstone-based constructor have made several changes; the team have taken on Honda as their power unit supplier, switching from Mercedes after five years.
Another notable addition for the 2026 season for Aston Martin was the arrival of Adrian Newey in his new role as Team Principal. There were great hopes that Newey would develop a supercar for the team, but it seems his first attempt has not matched his previous work at Red Bull.
A frank verdict from Stroll as Aston Martin look for answers 👀
Finish the sentence 'In Australia, Aston Martin will finish XX and XX'…
Bernie Collins discusses the ‘change’ at Aston Martin
In an Ask Me Anything session, Bernie Collins, the Formula 1 strategy analyst for Sky Sports, discussed the situation at Aston Martin heading into the 2026 season.
Collins believes that although Aston Martin have been in Formula 1 for five years, all of the changes that they have undergone for the 2026 season has made them into ‘a new team’ and compared them to Cadillac, who have entered Formula 1 for the 2026 season.
When asked what the ‘root issue’ of Aston Martin’s struggles are, Collins said, “I think there’s been a lot of expectation around the Aston Martin. There’s been a lot of investment in the team. But there’s been so much change. They’ve grown the team massively.
“They’ve got a new wind tunnel. They’ve got a new engine supplier effectively. They’ve designed their own gearbox for the first time. Got a new designer, Adrian Newey. So it’s almost like a new team, and we’re all looking at Cadillac and saying, oh it’s great that they’ve made the car to test it and how it’s gone so well.
“But I think designing that team is basically new this year. All of the bits are new. So I think the root cause is just getting all of those people working together and talking to each other.”
Prove us wrong: Fernando Alonso’s faith in Adrian Newey is misguided this season after testing woes
Adrian Newey asked Honda to change everything when he arrived
Adrian Newey left Red Bull in 2024 and was eligible to begin his first role at Aston Martin in March 2025. By which time, Honda were well underway with developing their 2026 engine.
It has been revealed by Satoshi Tsunoda, the general manager of Honda’s F1 engine project, that when Newey arrived, he ordered drastic changes.
It is clear after pre-season that the Honda power unit is one of the major issues at Aston Martin, as they have struggled with engine reliability.
In a recent report, it has also been suggested that Newey’s drastic design for the AMR26 has put Aston Martin ‘several months’ behind its rivals.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
