Aston Martin's Late Start to Be a Costly Mistake, Says Newey
Adrian Newey admits that Aston Martin's late start in developing their 2026 Formula 1 challenger is "bound to" impact the team's results early on in the new season. The team's managing technical partner revealed this during a press conference in Saudi Arabia, where they unveiled the AMR26 car.
The delayed wind tunnel and subsequent design process have put Aston Martin at a disadvantage compared to their rivals, who have had a head start in developing their cars for the 2026 season. Newey acknowledged that "everybody else has been working on their CFD [Computational Fluid Dynamics] and general layouts and mechanical layouts way, way before us," so the team is starting on the back foot.
Newey expects Aston Martin's delayed start to cost them in the early stages of the season, stating, "It's bound to, to be perfectly honest." However, he remains optimistic that the team can catch up with their rivals and make a strong challenge for wins and titles.
The AMR26 car has already generated excitement among fans and pundits alike, thanks to its striking racing green livery. The car's design is considered one of the more extreme interpretations of this year's new rules, with Newey explaining that due to the compressed design time, they decided on a single direction to pursue.
Fernando Alonso, the team's driver, echoed Newey's sentiments, saying, "We need to walk before running and we need to make the steps one at a time." His teammate Lance Stroll agreed, stating that Aston Martin can't expect to be contenders right away, but are confident in their development rate throughout the season.
The team's focus will now shift to pre-season testing in Bahrain, where they hope to fine-tune their car and learn from their experiences. With the 2026 F1 season just around the corner, Aston Martin is eager to prove themselves and make a strong impression on the grid.
The schedule for Sky Sports' Bahrain Testing has been released, with Test One taking place on February 11-13 and Test Two on February 18-20.
Adrian Newey admits that Aston Martin's late start in developing their 2026 Formula 1 challenger is "bound to" impact the team's results early on in the new season. The team's managing technical partner revealed this during a press conference in Saudi Arabia, where they unveiled the AMR26 car.
The delayed wind tunnel and subsequent design process have put Aston Martin at a disadvantage compared to their rivals, who have had a head start in developing their cars for the 2026 season. Newey acknowledged that "everybody else has been working on their CFD [Computational Fluid Dynamics] and general layouts and mechanical layouts way, way before us," so the team is starting on the back foot.
Newey expects Aston Martin's delayed start to cost them in the early stages of the season, stating, "It's bound to, to be perfectly honest." However, he remains optimistic that the team can catch up with their rivals and make a strong challenge for wins and titles.
The AMR26 car has already generated excitement among fans and pundits alike, thanks to its striking racing green livery. The car's design is considered one of the more extreme interpretations of this year's new rules, with Newey explaining that due to the compressed design time, they decided on a single direction to pursue.
Fernando Alonso, the team's driver, echoed Newey's sentiments, saying, "We need to walk before running and we need to make the steps one at a time." His teammate Lance Stroll agreed, stating that Aston Martin can't expect to be contenders right away, but are confident in their development rate throughout the season.
The team's focus will now shift to pre-season testing in Bahrain, where they hope to fine-tune their car and learn from their experiences. With the 2026 F1 season just around the corner, Aston Martin is eager to prove themselves and make a strong impression on the grid.
The schedule for Sky Sports' Bahrain Testing has been released, with Test One taking place on February 11-13 and Test Two on February 18-20.
... no, wait, I don't think so 
. I mean, they've got to be really confident in their team's ability to catch up and make a strong challenge for wins and titles, right? 
... but then again, it's hard to catch up with everyone else who've been working on their CFD and general layouts way before them 
. I guess what Newey said makes sense, that the delayed start is bound to cost them in the early stages of the season 
... but maybe not entirely 
.
! The racing green livery is pretty sweet too 
. But honestly, who knows what's going to happen in Bahrain? Will they fine-tune their car and learn from their experiences or will they just get left behind? 
... I'm torn between being optimistic about the team's development rate throughout the season 
... and being skeptical about how much progress they can really make 
.
their late start 2 develop their 2026 car is literally gonna cost them 
in the early stages of the season 
i mean, every1 else has been working on their designs 4eva & they're starting from behind 
luckily they got a good team behind 'em tho 
#F1 #AstonMartin
but i think they'll need to be super consistent throughout the season if they wanna make a challenge for wins and titles. gonna be fun to watch them try! 
. I mean, they're already playing catch-up due to their delayed start, and now they gotta figure out how to fine-tune their car in just a couple of weeks? It's gonna be tough, mate 
. They need to focus on getting the basics right, like reliability and pace, before they even think about trying to challenge for wins. And with all the new regulations this year, it's like they're starting from scratch 
. I hope they can pull off a miracle, but I'm not holding my breath 
.
let's see how they perform in Bahrain testing 
its so sleek and green looks like a beast on track 
so they're saying it's gonna be a costly mistake? that's like saying "you know what's gonna be bad?" lololol 
the funny thing is, I'm not even mad at them... yet. i mean, come on, you can't rush art or innovation, right? 
and lets be real, their car does look 
that racing green livery tho! but, yeah, they're gonna be playing catch up... no biggie, just another day in f1 land 
... I mean, who wouldn't want to start the new season strong? But at the same time, I totally get why they're saying it'll be a costly mistake if they don't catch up quickly 
The car looks sweet though, I'm low-key excited about it 
Aston Martin might be taking a bit of time to get their act together, but it's all part of the learning curve. You can't rush innovation, and I'm sure they'll make the most of this opportunity to fine-tune their car 
. It's gonna be an interesting season 
while everyone else is all set to rock their new cars 
! I mean, Newey is trying to be real about it but let's be real, this late start is gonna hurt their chances big time 
. Let's see how they can make some magic happen in Bahrain 
. Can't wait to see them out on the track 
and now Aston Martin is like "oh wait, we got this too" 
but man, that's a lot of pressure 
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