Aston Martin's AMR26 Shows Potential but Battles Understeer in Monaco

Aston Martin's 2026 Formula 1 car, the AMR26, is transitioning from Mercedes customer engines to a factory Honda power unit. Development was set back by four months when the new wind‑tunnel model could only be tested in mid‑April 2025, compressing the design schedule. Team ambassador Pedro de la Rosa said the chassis could be among the top five cars on certain circuits, noting, “I think on some tracks we could be fifth fastest, on others we could be significantly further back.”

In Monaco the car suffered severe understeer in slow corners, a problem not seen on other tracks, and setup changes could not fully resolve it. De la Rosa described Monaco as a unique case and said the team must analyse the data before drawing conclusions. Aston Martin hopes further races will clarify the car’s balance and performance potential.