Adrian Newey has admitted that Aston Martin’s late start as 2026 F1 challengers will “certainly have an impact” on the team’s results in the early stages of the new season.
The AMR26 was first shown on track under a black camouflage livery at Shakedown in Barcelona last month, but the look that will be worn by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll this year was officially unveiled in Saudi Arabia on Monday.
There were few surprises when it came to the color scheme, with the team sticking to the ‘Racing Green’ hue it has used since its return to the sport in 2021, but there is still plenty of excitement left in the first car designed under Newey’s leadership.
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Adrian Newey admits Aston Martin’s wind tunnel testing delays could cost the team in the early stages of the 2026 season
Newey, who joined the team in March 2025 as managing technical partner before taking on the role of team principal ahead of the new season, explained last week that Aston Martin’s brand new wind tunnel was not ready for use until April last year, leaving it behind rivals as all-new regulations are introduced for the 2026 season.
Asked by Sky Sports News on Monday if the delay would hurt Aston Martin early in the season, Newey said: “Honestly, I’m sure it will.”
“We entered the tunnel in mid-to-late April, whereas others were on January 2nd. But more than that, others have been working on CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and general layout and mechanical layout long before we did. So we’re starting from the back foot and we’ll do our best to catch up.”
Even the camouflage-colored AMR26, which appeared at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit for just over a day, immediately attracted attention in the pit lane, with the car’s nose, sidepods and engine cover all different from rival models.
There was nothing more to learn about the AMR26’s design on Monday as the livery was on display on the show car, but much of the attention will no doubt be focused on the green car when pre-season testing continues in Bahrain on Wednesday.
Newey added: “We’ve been working on updates for Race 1 first and now we’re thinking about updates after that. It’s the nature of F1 anyway, but it’s also a car that has gone through this very new regulation and very compressed cycle.”
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Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz takes a closer look at what F1 will look like in 2026 as the sport begins a new era of charging mode, more power, new teams and engine suppliers.
Alonso: “You need to walk before you run”
Aston Martin has long considered the introduction of radical new regulations for the 2026 season an opportunity to become title contenders, and Newey’s arrival further strengthens that belief.
Two-time world champion Alonso was sold on a long-term vision when he joined the team in 2023, but after a very promising first campaign in green, he has had to endure two underwhelming campaigns.
The 44-year-old Spaniard has claimed in recent years that his team has the best overall package for the new generation, but warns it may take time to challenge for wins and titles.
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Fernando Alonso talks about Adrian Newey’s influence on Aston Martin.
“I feel this is an important moment in the Aston Martin project,” Alonso told Sky Sports News. “Finally, we have the equipment. The wind tunnel is designing the car, not a third party anymore. For the first time, we have our own gearbox. It’s a big challenge, but in a way, for the first time, we have the freedom to design the main components of the car. We have Honda as a partner, so all the pieces are coming together.”
“Our biggest challenge, especially for me, is gluing everything together and timing. Coming from seventh place in the constructors’ championship last year, we have to walk before we run and we have to take it one step at a time.”
“We’re competitors and we want to win and we want to fight for big things. I think it’s going to take some time, but we want to make it as short as possible.”
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Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle shares his predictions for how Aston Martin will perform throughout the new F1 season.
Alonso’s teammate Stroll, the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, agreed that Aston Martin cannot expect to be favorites for the Australian Grand Prix, which starts on March 8.
“We still have to live up to expectations,” Stroll told Sky Sports News. “Everything is still very fresh. Our relationship with Honda is new, we are building our own gearbox for the first time and Adrian has just joined the team.”
“I don’t think we’ll arrive in Melbourne ready to fight for race wins. It’s more about the speed of development throughout the season, bringing in upgrades as effectively as possible and getting better every weekend.”
“We have all the tools to fight for race wins and championships. Will it happen overnight? No. Do we believe we can get there? Yes. That’s why I’m so motivated and excited to be on this journey.”
Sky Sports F1 Bahrain test schedule
Test 1: Wednesday 11th, Thursday 12th, Friday 13th February
3:00 PM: Final Hours of Track Driving Live 8:00 PM: Test Lap 8:30 PM: Ted’s Test Notebook
Test 2: Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th, Friday 20th February
6:50am to 11:05am: Morning session live 11:55am to 4:10pm: Afternoon session live 8pm: Test lap
Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, including the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
