Stoffel Vandoorne thinks Adrian Newey’s late arrival ‘certainly hasn’t helped’ Aston Martin

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Stoffel Vandoorne admits that Aston Martin are not at the “level” they want after a difficult time at F1’s 2026 Bahrain test, and Adrian Newey’s late arrival did not help.

Billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll leapt at his chance to hire Newey after he decided to leave Red Bull in May 2024. But while Aston Martin confirmed the design guru’s signing that September, he only started working as their new managing technical partner in March 2025.

By the time that Newey joined Aston Martin, their rival teams had already been testing their cars built to the 2026 F1 regulations in their wind tunnels for two months. And Newey made Aston Martin redesign their car to implement his design as soon as he arrived in Silverstone.

Aston Martin also encountered issues with their new wind tunnel, which meant they did not start testing their package until April 2025. Pre-season testing in Bahrain then revealed how far behind the AMR26 is, as Honda’s battery relentlessly failing masked a lack of downforce.

Can Adrian Newey turn the Aston Martin AMR26 into a race-winning car in 2026?

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Stoffel Vandoorne feels Aston Martin now have ‘positive’ momentum to improve ‘radically’

Lance Stroll revealed in Bahrain that he believes Aston Martin are four seconds a lap off the pace of the best teams. Honda’s reliability issues ensured Aston Martin could not complete many laps, but it was still evident that Aston Martin’s 2026 F1 car suffers from a lack of grip.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and aero regulations

Reserve driver Vandoorne admits that Newey’s late arrival has “certainly” not helped Aston Martin begin the 2026 F1 regulations era strongly. But “anything is possible” with the most-successful car designer in F1 history in the team, even if they start with a mountain to climb.

Vandoorne said, via Soy Motor: “Formula 1 is not easy. It is one of the most competitive environments there is, and things can change quickly. If you look at McLaren a couple of years ago, they were last, and suddenly they’re a winning team.

“Anything is possible, we have Adrian in the team. I know he arrived a little late, and [that] certainly hasn’t helped. But at least there’s that positive momentum that can radically change things.

“The simple reality is that we have to keep our heads down, work hard and find our rhythm. The tests have been difficult. We are not at the level we want to be at the moment, and we have a lot of work ahead of us at the start of this season.”

Aston Martin plan ‘many’ chassis updates and to help Honda work on the engine

Honda have identified the vibrations caused while the Aston Martin AMR26 was running on the track in Bahrain as the cause of their battery problems. The Japanese constructor could not see the problems coming while testing their latest F1 power unit on their workbenches.

This year is also the start of Honda and Aston Martin’s works partnership, having struck an exclusive deal after the Tokyo outfit U-turned on leaving F1 due to the 2026 engine rules. But Newey’s arrival also did not help Aston Martin and Honda to get off on the right foot.

Honda changed “almost everything” in their engine after Newey joined Aston Martin, which Vandoorne adds caused the Silverstone squad and Tokyo brand issues integrating the power unit in the AMR26. But Aston Martin are planning chassis upgrades, which may help Honda.

Vandoorne said: “There will be many developments on the chassis side and the integration with Honda is challenging, and we need to improve in that area, as well.”