By Jack Greenyer
In a year of major changes to regulations, Aston Martin have gone one step further in adding to the inevitable drama of the upcoming 2026 F1 season. Team Principal Adrian Newey stated in a recent interview that “2026 is probably the first time in the history of F1 that the power unit regulations and chassis regulations have changed at the same
time” making the winter testing and preparation for all teams to be competitive at Albert Park, the season opener in Australia, a real challenge.
Where Aston Martin have gone further is with their new engine deal with Honda, a 1.6- litre V6 turbocharged internal combustion engine known as the RA626H.
The new unit focuses on advanced thermal management, greater power and improved efficiency which when shown around the Barcelona Shakedown, caught the eye of Mercades driver, George Russell who stated that the car looks “pretty spectacular” and that
everyone will “know what they’re capable of.
He continued by saying that everyone was
looking at the rear suspension, stating its impressive looks but joked that F1 is about
which car is fastest and not which is sexiest. These big changes to Aston Martin caused significant delay in terms of getting the car ready for testing with Newey explaining that they didn’t get a model into the wind tunnel until April whereas most teams started testing in the January of 2025. “That put us on
the back foot by about four months, which has meant a very, very compressed research and design cycle”. With this being his debut car for Aston Martin, Newey admitted his approach with its design could be interpreted as aggressive, but with a 7th place finish in last season’s constructors’ championships, an aggressive approach is exactly what’s
needed for the team to be at least the best of the rest.
In terms of the two men who will be crossing the white line this season for the Coal Scuttle, there is no change there with Lance Stroll representing the team since 2021 in his 10th overall season in the pinnacle of motorsport and veteran and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso spending his 4th season with the team but a record-extending 23rd season in F! for the Spaniard. Both will be looking to improve on mediocre
performances on track with 33 and 56 points scored respectively in what looks to be an incredibly exciting season for Aston Martin fans.
Whatever 2026 has in store for everyone associated with Aston Martin, Its certainly good to see there being a genuine additional contender on the grid.
WHEEL2WHEEL REPORTS 