Adrian Newey explains Aston Martin's AMR26 wind tunnel delay

Adrian Newey has shut down speculation linking his late arrival to Aston Martin's delayed AMR26 development, revealing the team deliberately waited for its own wind tunnel rather than a brief stint at Brackley. The decision pushed the car's wind tunnel entry to mid-April, roughly four months after rivals began work on their 2026 challengers, and set the stage for a deeply troubled season.

Why it matters:

In a reset year where every day counts, Aston Martin's compressed design cycle proved costly. The AMR26 arrived overweight and short on downforce, while vibrations from the Honda power unit compounded the misery. Newey called the opening races a "complete nightmare," leaving the team fighting at the back rather than capitalizing on F1's fresh regulations.

The details:

• Teams could begin 2026 car work in January 2025, but Aston Martin did not enter the wind tunnel until mid-April.
• Newey explained no model was ready when he arrived, and the team chose to delay until their own tunnel was commissioned rather than starting at Brackley and moving again.
• The AMR26 suffered from excess weight, a lack of downforce, and vibrations from the Honda power unit.
• A B-spec package with 16 new parts debuted in Hungary, yielding a season-best qualifying of P16 for Fernando Alonso, who finished 14th with teammate Lance Stroll one place ahead in 13th.

What's next:

Aston Martin hopes the Hungary update marks a turning point, with Newey targeting points after a dismal start. The team is also counting on a Honda power unit upgrade at the Dutch Grand Prix following the summer break, though Honda's Shintaro Orihara downplayed speculation of a 50bhp gain. Newey remains cautious but sees the update as the first step toward steady progress.