Sacked Aston Martin boss claims he could have prevented their costly 2026 ‘mistakes’

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A former Aston Martin team boss has claimed that he could have prevented the team from making ‘mistakes’ that have contributed to their 2026 struggles. 

Prior to the 2026 Formula 1 season, the expectation was that with Adrian Newey at the helm and Fernando Alonso in the car, Aston Martin could challenge at the front of the grid.

However, it has been a nightmare start to the Newey era for the Silverstone-based outfit, as the AMR26 has proved to be extremely problematic.

Both Alonso and Lance Stroll have had to endure severe vibrations that stemmed from the Honda-powered engine, as well as the car being inferior to their rivals.

Although both Aston Martin drivers managed to cross the finishing line in Miami, they remain a long way off where they want to be.

Should F1 teams help Honda and give them extra upgrades in 2026?

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Otmar Szafnauer claims he could have prevented Aston Martin’s costly 2026 ‘mistakes’

Speaking on the latest episode of the High Performance Racing podcast, ex-Aston Martin team boss, Otmar Szafnauer, has claimed that he would not have made the same mistakes as they have this season.

Szafnauer, 61, first joined Force India in 2009 before it rebranded to Racing Point and later to Aston Martin. He left in January 2022 and ended up moving to Alpine to become their team principal.

Speaking about Aston Martin, Szafnauer said he can see mistakes being made from a managerial perspective, but did claim that they have good people to turn things around.

Szafnauer said: “I wish they were doing better. There are still people there that I hired, and I wish them the best of luck. I wish they were closer to the front.

“For sure, I can see mistakes from a managerial perspective that I think, without patting myself on the back or sounding too arrogant, I wouldn’t have made.

“I know I wouldn’t have made some of those mistakes, and they have cost them lap time.

“But you know, they have good people. Adrian is the best of our generation, and he’s there. Honda have won a lot, and they’re there, so hopefully they can get it together.”

When will Aston Martin score their first podium of the Adrian Newey era?

And will they get one at all?

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READ MORE: Former Honda man claims Lawrence Stroll is ‘trying to do everything on his own’ at Aston Martin

Honda vows to give ‘more confidence’ to Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, Honda chief Shintaro Orihara spoke about progress made by the team.

He touched on the fact that there were improvements in vibrations and reliability in Miami and looks to provide the Aston Martin drivers with more confidence in the upcoming races.

Orihara said: “At the Miami Grand Prix, we confirmed the improvements in battery vibration reduction and overall reliability of our power unit.

“It was also a key opportunity to learn about energy management under the updated regulations of 2026, and this will continue in Canada.

“In Montreal, Lance’s home race, we will focus on improving manageability and our energy management strategy to help drivers gain more confidence. In fact, this is an important goal of our race weekend.

“If we manage to give the drivers more confidence to enter the curves faster and maintain a higher speed, we will improve their lap times.”