Formula 1 News: Adrian Newey has a plan to fix his Aston Martin ‘lemon’

In the unforgiving garage of Formula 1, where every millisecond is a verdict and every lap a judgment, Aston Martin’s AMR26 (pictured) has rolled out looking more like a jalopy than a juggernaut. Preseason testing in Bahrain— the first true shakedown under the revolutionary 2026 regulations—painted a grim picture: a car 4.5 seconds adrift of the frontrunners, plagued by gremlins from engine to exhaust.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Lance Stroll didn’t mince words, calling it a “chasm” after managing just 36 laps on Day 1 before a Honda power unit data anomaly sidelined the machine. For a team banking on Adrian Newey’s aerodynamic wizardry to catapult them into title contention, this lemon of a debut stings like a spin into the barriers. But fear not, Silverstone faithful—the maestro himself has a blueprint to squeeze the juice out of this underripe fruit.

Bahrain’s Brutal Wake-Up Call

The Bahrain International Circuit, with its abrasive asphalt and relentless desert heat, was supposed to be Aston Martin’s proving ground. Instead, it exposed fractures in the AMR26’s foundation. The car, Newey’s first full-throated design since jumping ship from Red Bull in March 2025, arrived late to the party—skipping most of the Barcelona shakedown due to development delays. By the time it hit the Sakhir track for three days of testing (February 12-14, 2026), the deficits were glaring.

Fernando Alonso and Stroll combined for a meager 206 laps, far short of rivals like McLaren’s 300-plus mileage hauls. Fastest times? A distant 1:38.165 from Stroll on softs—over four seconds shy of Mercedes’ benchmark. Telemetry painted an even uglier picture: constant wheel lock-ups under braking, unpredictable handling that had drivers fighting the wheel like it was a bucking bronco, and an overweight chassis sapping downforce at every corner.

The root causes? A perfect storm. Honda’s power unit— a fresh partnership after ditching Mercedes—required an 18-month R&D reboot post-2021 withdrawal, leaving it down on power and efficiency. Add in Aston’s maiden self-designed gearbox, aero inefficiencies clashing with new sustainable fuels from Aramco, and tire woes that turned grip into grief, and you’ve got a cocktail of interconnected headaches. No silver bullet here; as Newey himself diagnosed, “it’s a bit of everything.” Team owner Lawrence Stroll reportedly unleashed a post-test tirade on the engineers, while Pedro de la Rosa admitted they’re “behind schedule and not where we want to be.”

In the pecking order? A dismal 10th—trailing Audi and barely nosing ahead of Cadillac’s rookie effort. For a squad that poured billions into its Silverstone campus, this was less “Green Hell” and more “Green Nightmare.”

Newey’s Emotional Debut Turns Sour

Adrian Newey, the 67-year-old design deity behind 12 constructors’ titles, didn’t mince emotions during the AMR26’s rollout. At the Saudi livery reveal—mere weeks before Bahrain—he teared up alongside Stroll as Lance wheeled the blacked-out prototype (unpainted for Barcelona due to time crunches) out of the garage. “It’s been a long, emotional journey of passion and a lot of hard work,” Newey reflected, praising the new AMR Technology Campus as a “lovely building” fostering unity.

But passion curled into candor post-Bahrain. In a team-wide debrief, the new Team Principal laid it bare: “Right, I know this is not working at the moment… it is partly the Honda engine, it is a bit of the gearbox, it is a bit of aero, it is a bit of tires.”

Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz, fresh from paddock whispers, relayed the vibe: Newey was “really direct and positive,” rallying the troops with a vow to haul them “out of this mess.” No finger-pointing—just a steely-eyed acknowledgment of the interconnected ills, a hallmark of the man who’s turned more mid-season slumps into championships than most teams have wins.

The Plan: Leadership, Low-Hanging Fruit, and Long Runs

So, what’s the fix? Details remain under wraps—Newey’s not one for premature blueprints—but insiders paint a picture of methodical mastery. His arrival delayed aero work by four months, but now he’s the undisputed conductor, “clearly directing the team on what needs to be done” to unify efforts. Expect a surgical strike: optimizing battery charging for the 300kW MGU-K (hampered by braking woes), aero mapping to claw back downforce, and energy deployment tweaks to bridge the power gap.

Low-hanging fruit abounds. Completing representative long runs and tire tests—elusive in Bahrain—could unlock “seconds,” as Alonso optimistically floated ahead of Test 2 (February 18-20). Newey himself spotlights the team’s “huge strides” in cohesion at Silverstone, where centralized facilities are breeding a “second to none” environment. And with 2026’s seismic regulations—active aero, sustainable fuels, beefier batteries—there’s “huge opportunity” for rapid evolution; Barcelona beasts will look prehistoric by Melbourne’s March 16 opener.

Redemption on the Horizon?

Aston Martin’s plight isn’t panic fodder—yet. Rivals like Mercedes logged clean sheets, but the grid’s fluidity under new rules means no one’s safe. Stroll’s downbeat “we have a lot of work to do” echoes a squad in damage control, not despair. With Newey at the helm—his fingerprints on everything from the RB7 to the RB20—history whispers hope. Remember Red Bull’s 2010 teething troubles? They ended in glory.

As the AMR26 idles in the garage, Bahrain Test 2 looms like a second chance at the green light. If Newey’s plan ignites, this lemon could ferment into championship vintage. For now, it’s all throttle, no brakes: Aston’s fightback starts now.

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