With F1 teams getting ready for round 19, Andy Cowell spoke of the work behind the scenes at Aston Martin going into the 2026 preparations. The Team Principal reviewed the partnership discussions with Honda for the PU development.
Nevertheless, when looking at the current season, it is clear that Aston Martin’s battle in the Constructors’ Championship is not over yet. As of now, the team sits in P7 with 68 points. While Racing Bulls is ahead of them, the 4-point gap can easily be closed. Since Adrian Newey joined Aston Martin at the beginning of the year, Cowell put his faith in the Briton for the 2026 car development.
2025 goals and the Championship
During the F1 Singapore GP Friday press conference, Andy Cowell went over Aston Martin’s potential in the climb up the standings. Additionally, the TP spoke of a positive overview, sharing his hopes of finishing P5 in the Constructors’.
“What we want is every single race, we go along and we set the car up as best we can with the hardware that we’ve got. We follow the track. We have a beautiful qualifying session, great first lap, an awesome strategy. And we pick up the most points from every race.
“We would love to finish ahead of James [Vowles] and Williams. But congratulations to James on the podium at the last race—well done. It makes our dream of finishing fifth tougher. But that’s still what we’re fighting for.”
Partnering up with Honda for 2026
While there is not much to be done in terms of the AMR25, Cowell has been in talks with Honda for a possible power unit switch for Aston Martin in 2026. The Japanese automobile manufacturer was Red Bull Racing’s partner and PU provider. However, as RBR is working on a personal PU with Ford, Aston Martin is looking to collaborate with Honda.
“Yeah, Honda’s going great. They’re an engineering-led organisation, just like Aston Martin. They’re innovative, their sense of passion and commitment and courage is huge. I’m flying to Sakura on Monday, spending a couple of days with them after the race on Sunday.”
This switch would also represent Aston Martin’s stepping away from Mercedes, their current engine manufacturer. Especially with Newey’s experience alongside Honda in F1 PU development, Cowell believes this partnership would be extremely beneficial:
“It’s an exciting time for the team to take that transition from a customer team, where you have very little say in what goes on at the rear of the car, to having all the debates about what the front of the power unit should look like. How do we do the cooling, how do we integrate with the transmission, how do we pull it all together.
“I guess that’s where Adrian [Newey] being on board since March is really helpful. He’s got experience working with Honda. So there’s a natural understanding there already as to what can be pushed and what can’t. So yeah, exciting times.”
Barcelona pre-season test expectations
The 2026 regulations for F1 are practically bringing a new type of machinery to the circuits. Every team will get the chance to test their new cars at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in January. Preparations before that pre-season test are in full force now.
Andy Cowell remains excited for the challenge that lies ahead for the 2026 test for Aston Martin and the new configurations:
“Yeah, it’s a big challenge for all the teams. Lots of new technology—power unit, advanced sustainable fuels, aerodynamics, materials development, chassis design, transmissions—it’s the whole car. And it’s exciting. It’s an exciting challenge.
None of us can move that first test date or the first race date. We’re all pushing as hard as we can to innovate and create performance. But we all know that you don’t get any points unless you finish. And we’ve got that eternal balance to make. I think it’s going to be exciting racing, exciting testing compared with the last few years where you do a few days. It’ll be interesting to see how it all unfolds, but we’re certainly looking forward to it.”
