Ralf Schumacher claims Adrian Newey has no excuse for Aston Martin’s car being overweight

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Ralf Schumacher believes Adrian Newey has had a difficult experience since joining Aston Martin, but he must be held responsible for the AMR26’s issues.

Since the start of the season, Newey has been vocal in criticising Honda for their work on the power unit, attributing Aston Martin’s poor start in 2026 to their issues.

Initially, there were concerns that Newey’s comments may have impacted their relationship with Honda. However, Honda have denied rumours of tension with Aston Martin, noting that both sides are on the same page.

Can Aston Martin’s relationship with Honda survive long-term?

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While Aston Martin are staying quiet on Honda’s issues for now, there have been internal discussions about Adrian Newey’s work on the chassis not being up to par.

Even Newey has recognised the AMR26’s faults. But Ralf Schumacher believes Adrian Newey has no excuse for the issues on the chassis side of things.

READ MORE: Adrian Newey and Honda disagree with Lawrence Stroll about Aston Martin writing off 2026 F1 season

Ralf Schumacher says ‘aerodynamicist’ Adrian Newey must admit his mistake

Speaking on Backstage Boxengasse, Ralf Schumacher spoke about the struggles Aston Martin are facing this season, as it pertains to the development of the AMR26.

Schumacher noted that Aston Martin have grown impatient with their issues, and now that Adrian Newey’s work is being held up to scrutiny, he doesn’t have any excuse for the chassis being less than ideal.

“This is a new tone from him (Krack), who has a lot of patience. But I think he’s now also reached his limit a little. Or perhaps they simply had less patience before, because everyone’s expectations were high.

“And with someone like Adrian Newey, you can assume that he will do his job normally. And that seems to be where the problem lies, with the wind tunnel, as Newey said before the start of the season.

“There are problems there, and this has set them back. However, that is not an excuse for why the car is so heavy.

“Some teams are really struggling, and almost all of them are significantly overweight, and Aston Martin seems to be one of them. Clearly, Adrian Newey is not a chassis designer. He’s the aerodynamicist, but something like that shouldn’t happen under his watch either.”

READ MORE: Jenson Button says ‘everyone’ at Aston Martin still believes they can be a top team

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Ralf Schumacher is confident Adrian Newey can implement ‘very big’ ADOU package well

Speaking further about Aston Martin’s future, Schumacher noted that their upcoming ADOU package is set to make a big difference, especially as he trusts Adrian Newey over its implementation.

“I believe it is a very big (ADOU) package. But if anyone can do it, it is Adrian Newey, who also has the gift of being able to look at other solutions on the starting lineup and then drawing his conclusions from them. He has a famous notebook that he always has with him, where he writes everything down.

“I’m assuming he’ll come up with something better. Of course, to be fair, the problem was also not just with Honda and their performance being far from optimum, but also that it was simply impossible to test the power unit.

“So this deficit is a cause for concern when we think about whether the drivers have to stop after 10-12 laps, because it is harmful to their health. That’s not helpful. Nevertheless, we must acknowledge that fact. I think that’s what bothers him the most.

“I know that the car is the way it is, because ultimately, he is very well-known, very successful, and very well-paid, and it’s like a driver who at some point isn’t fast enough anymore, so he has to make sure his car is in good condition.”

Newey failing to do so could be catastrophic for Aston Martin, especially considering how poorly they’ve started the season so far.

The Miami Grand Prix will be a huge test for them as a team, and if they can make a significant improvement by that point, they might be able to salvage something from the season.