Aston Martin F1’s Adrian Newey spoke briefly about where the team stands ahead of the 2026 F1 season opener in Melbourne, which takes place in just a few weeks. The season is well underway, with pre-season testing taking place in Bahrain this week following a shakedown in Barcelona.
After ending his long-term tenure with Red Bull in a shock move, Newey joined the Silverstone-based team at a pivotal time, aligning with Formula 1’s major regulation change for 2026. Speaking to Sky Sports F1 during the team’s livery launch, Newey shared several updates on what fans can expect from Aston Martin ahead of the opening race.
“Yeah, it never stands still, so of course we’ve been working on updates initially for race one. And now thinking about subsequent updates, which is the nature of the Formula One in any case, but also of course this very new set of regulations and a car which had a very compressed cycle.”
As the first race of the year slowly approaches, Newey admitted the team had started their 2026 project at a disadvantage, having entered the wind tunnel later than their rivals. Despite starting on the back foot, he stressed that the team will push hard to close the gap as quickly as possible.
“It’s bound to, to be perfectly honest. We got in the tunnel mid-late April, opposed to 2nd of January for everybody else, but more than that everybody else would have been working on their CFD and general layout and mechanical layout way, way, way before us. So we’ve started on the backfoot, we’ll do our best to catch up.”
Mercedes’ engine controversy continues
Talk surrounding Mercedes’ power unit continues to dominate the paddock, with its bold and ambitious interpretation of the new regulations. This has prompted their rival manufacturers to call on the FIA to investigate its legality. Aston Martin, who will fit a Honda power unit in their cars this season after ending its partnership with the German manufacturer last year, begins a new chapter with the Japanese manufacturer amid the ongoing controversy.
Newey kept his response simple when asked about the controversy, saying: “I think, well I’m biassed clearly. I think everybody is aligned but one manufacturer, so where that will end up you will I guess find out in Melbourne.”
During his time at Red Bull, the 67 year-old was the driving force behind the team’s success during Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen’s championship-winning seasons. Newey’s arrival at Aston Martin ahead of the 2026 F1 season proved vital for the team, who were in search of a boost after a dramatic drop down the field following a strong start to their 2023 season.
Speaking about Aston Martin’s approach to their 2026 development, Newey said: “Well I think we will be carrying it forwards this season, whether that proves to be the correct philosophy going forwards beyond that or not is way too early to say.”
