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A Formula 1 insider has claimed that he has seen something from the current Aston Martin staff that he hasn’t seen for 50 years.
Aston Martin have endured a horrible start to the 2026 F1 season, with the team struggling to extract performance from the problematic AMR26.
So far, they have only managed to score one point, thanks to Fernando Alonso at the Monaco Grand Prix, which, in truth, was gifted after Sergio Perez was hit with a late penalty.
There has been a lot of talk surrounding Aston Martin and their power unit supplier, Honda, with both failing to fix the problems that have left Alonso and Lance Stroll stuck at the back of the grid alongside newcomers Cadillac.
Although Honda and Aston Martin chiefs have been adamant that the partnership will work, their confidence is currently not being transmitted to the team.
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According to an unnamed former F1 team technical director, who uses the pseudonym of Andrew Garrison, the morale at Aston Martin is as low as ever.
Garrison says the current situation at Aston Martin is something he has ‘never seen’ in his 50 years of involvement in the sport.
He stated that whenever the conversation centred around F1, the team’s staff’s faces would ‘darken’.
However, when speaking about other sports like football, it gives them a chance to ‘chat cheerfully and laugh’.
Garrison wrote for Autosport Japan: “This situation leads to a problem that worries me so much I can barely sleep at night: team morale.
“As I have mentioned before, I have a special attachment to this team, having spent several years with it back when it competed under a different name—sharing in both the good times and the bad.
“On the Monday night following the Barcelona race, I went to a pub with a few old friends who still work in the sport; in my more than fifty years in racing, I had never seen a group of people with morale so low.
“They were so despondent that the conversation quickly shifted from the Monaco or Spanish Grands Prix (though the latter seemed to have adopted some fancy new name this year) to the football World Cup—a change that saved the evening.
“Whenever the topic turned to F1, their faces would darken and their beer would vanish at an alarming rate, whereas talking about football allowed them to chat cheerfully and laugh.
“I sincerely hope their ordeal comes to an end soon. However, it seems unlikely that there will be any cause for optimism in the near future.”
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This weekend, the 2026 F1 season will resume with the Austrian Grand Prix, taking place around the Red Bull Ring.
With Austria being a power-reliant track, Aston Martin are expected to struggle and could even be faced with a new issue.
According to Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer, Shintaro Orihara, the Red Bull Ring’s high altitude could expose the engine’s turbocharger performance.
It could be another long weekend for Alonso and Stroll as their struggles are currently likely to continue.
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