Impressive yet ‘four months delayed’? Aston Martin emerges as a wildcard for F1 2026.
Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey has disclosed that the development of his team’s 2026 car commenced wind tunnel testing four months later than that of its competitors, yet the new AMR26 has still managed to attract attention during testing.
Newey, renowned as F1’s leading car designer, joined Aston Martin in March of the previous year, three months after the regulations allowed for aerodynamic development on the 2026 vehicles to begin.
In a discussion with the team’s website, Newey indicated that the car’s development in Aston Martin’s advanced wind tunnel did not kick off until mid-April, resulting in a notable lag behind its primary competitors.
“The AMR Technology Campus is still progressing, the CoreWeave Wind Tunnel wasn’t operational until April, and I only became part of the team last March, so we have indeed started from a disadvantaged position,” he stated. “It has been a very condensed timeline and an exceptionally busy 10 months.
“The fact is that we didn’t have a model of the ’26 car in the wind tunnel until mid-April, while most, if not all, of our competitors likely had a model in the wind tunnel from the moment the 2026 aero testing ban was lifted at the start of January last year.
“This has set us back by approximately four months, resulting in a highly compressed research and design cycle. The car only came together at the last moment, which is why we were striving to reach the Barcelona shakedown.”
Aston Martin’s participation in last week’s shakedown test in Barcelona was postponed until the second-to-last day of the event, with the AMR26 completing merely 65 laps in total, in contrast to Mercedes’ 502 laps.
The car quickly garnered attention upon its track debut, particularly due to its unique suspension mounting points and compact sidepods, prompting Mercedes driver George Russell to identify the Honda-powered vehicle as the most captivating design thus far.
“I believe the Aston Martin was likely the most distinctive in terms of car design,” Russell, who is favored by bookmakers for the drivers’ title, remarked.
“I think everyone was observing that rear suspension, and it certainly looks visually impressive, but it’s not a contest of aesthetics. It’s a contest of speed on the track, so people will always look to the fastest car, and we will discover that in Melbourne.
“Whoever that may be, that will be the car from which you would want to draw inspiration.”
– Williams unveils 2026 livery following car delays
– Wolff to competitors on F1 dispute: Get your act together
– Horner has unfinished business in F1, aims for victory
Newey mentioned that the AMR26 has been crafted with long-term development in consideration, rather than hastily producing the most radical concepts immediately.
“We have aimed to create something that we hope will possess considerable development potential,” he added. “What we want to avoid is a car that is quite optimized within its parameters but lacks significant development potential.
“We have endeavored to do the opposite, which is why we have concentrated on the fundamentals, investing our efforts there, knowing that some of the appendages – wings, bodywork, elements that can be modified during the season – will ideally have development potential.”
Testing will continue next week in Bahrain in preparation for the inaugural race of the 2026 season on March 8 in Melbourne, Australia.
Source: espn.com
