Aston Martin F1 chief Adrian Newey apologises for troubled 2026 car

Team principal Adrian Newey publicly apologised to Aston Martin’s partners and drivers for the poor performance of the 2026 car. He thanked everyone for their patience, acknowledging the “painful” start to the season and the frustration of drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

Newey said the programme was delayed by a late start to development after he joined the team in March 2025, which pushed wind‑tunnel testing and chassis work several months behind rivals. He also cited a weak Honda power‑unit and unexpected vibrations caused by the integration of the engine with the chassis. The team hopes upcoming upgrade packages at the Hungarian and Zandvoort races will close the gap and improve reliability for the rest of the season and into 2027.

He affirmed that the flat management structure will remain and that the team is listening closely to driver feedback while working on the planned upgrades.