Aston Martin are in a rough spot ahead of the 2026 season opener in Melbourne, with several problems cropping up around their new AMR26.
Adrian Newey, who heads up the team, has openly said they’re behind schedule. Aston started wind tunnel work later than most teams, and it’s already showing on track.
During testing in Bahrain, Aston Martin managed fewer laps than any other team. They only completed six laps on Friday, the final day of testing. Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll ran into multiple issues related to both the car itself and its Honda power unit.
Stroll’s onboard footage pointed to gearbox trouble as he struggled with cornering stability throughout his runs. The Canadian also spun off into the gravel at Turn 11 after losing drive in one stint.
On top of that, there are growing concerns over reliability as reports emerged of widespread battery failures with Honda’s units just days before the Australian Grand Prix. It all adds up to a worrying start for Newey and his crew as they try to avoid getting stuck at the back of the pack again this year.
Aston Martin’s 2026 car has no strengths heading into Melbourne
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, former driver Jolyon Palmer didn’t hold back in his assessment of Aston Martin’s pre-season. According to him, nothing is working for the AMR26 ahead of the season opener in Melbourne.
“They’re in a world of pain right now,” he said. “The problem is, I don’t think there’s a single aspect of that car that’s working.
“To start with, Honda are way behind the curve with the power unit. They’re not delivering the power and the energy management is tough. The reliability is also a bigger concern. So you’ve got everything about the power unit not functioning, as well as all their rivals.”
“If you look at someone like Aston Martin, they are so behind working out what setups to run on that car because they’re so busy putting out fires on other parts that it’s no wonder they don’t feel like they’ve got downforce.”
“It’s no wonder the car is really difficult to drive. The gearbox is now made in-house, which has also got some issues with it. Everywhere you look, there are problems going on there.”
Questions growing over Honda’s role in Aston Martin’s 2026 troubles
The problems are so severe at Silverstone that there are questions over whether they’ll even make the grid in Australia. Lance Stroll said the team was four seconds off the pace during testing in Bahrain, which would put them outside the 107% rule needed to qualify.
It’s a huge challenge for Adrian Newey and his staff, who are already stretched thin. Reports suggest some Aston Martin engineers are getting just three hours of sleep a night as they scramble to fix a car that looks uncompetitive on every front.
Honda has targeted the Chinese Grand Prix as a deadline to resolve their power unit problems, hoping that will be enough to get Aston Martin back on track. But if solutions aren’t found soon, patience within the team will start to wear thin—especially among the drivers.
Fernando Alonso is reportedly reaching breaking point, frustrated by another year that isn’t meeting expectations. There were high hopes for both him and the team, but right now it looks like he could be facing another long season near the back of the field.
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