Aston Martin were always going to receive an elevated level of attention after Adrian Newey’s arrival. The 67-year-old’s reputation speaks for itself, and the AMR26 introduced in Barcelona was undeniably moulded by his vision.
Rival engineers have consistently pointed to the unique innovations on the AMR26 over recent days. Whilst other teams such as Mercedes or Ferrari had extremely productive tests, Aston’s package generated more attention than any other.
Despite all this, one critical variable in this year’s equation is consistently overlooked. In recent declarations, Adrian Newey outlined one of the forgotten game-changers for F1 2026.
Newey and Aston Martin work against the clock
There are few who doubts the engineering competence of Aston Martin under Adrian Newey’s watch. Alongside other senior personnel such as Enrico Cardile, Lawrence Stroll’s team is expected to deliver a strong car.
First impressions of the AMR26 suggest that Newey and Cardile are fully committed to exploiting the regulations in the most creative way possible.
However, there are still doubts about the Honda engine. The Japanese manufacturer has achieved plenty of title success with Red Bull in recent years, so their ability to produce a top engine is clear.
Still, Honda officially committed to the 2026 regulations in early 2023 – some time later than the other manufacturers.
Because of this, there are lingering concerns about how effective the Japanese engine will be. It is understood Honda have taken some risks over the last year to try and make up for lost time.
In conjunction with the power unit, another vital factor in 2026 will be sustainable fuels.
To give some context into the challenge of synergising these new sustainable carbon-neutral fuels, the FIA gave teams an exemption for last week’s Barcelona shakedown. This means teams were allowed to use last year’s fuels – since some suppliers are struggling with research and production.
Of course, starting from next week’s tests in Bahrain, using carbon-neutral fuels will be mandated by the regulations.
This is why the nervousness of some teams prior to the Barcelona shakedown (prompting the FIA’s exemption) is so relevant. For many teams, last week’s strong reliability could change dramatically when they actually use the 2026 sustainable fuels.
The question is which teams used the new fuels in Barcelona – and which ones opted to play it safe and focus on aerodynamic work with last year’s fuel.
LWOS has previously discussed the importance Aston Martin’s fuel supplier – Aramco. The partnership between manufacturer and fuel supplier has always been important, but even more so in 2026.
For Aston Martin specifically, their relationship with Aramco could give them a valuable advantage. Meanwhile, certain teams are still very anxious about their sustainable fuels. (cont. on next page)
