The English “genius” admits the emotion he shared with Lawrence Stroll in Barcelona for the on-track debut of the AMR26. Adrian Newey also acknowledges that the car seen in Melbourne will be very different from the one that will run in Bahrain. Newey is proud of the factory and the people working at Silverstone.
Adrian Newey is an emotional person who often tries to conceal his feelings. He should not be judged by appearances. The English “genius” openly admitted how moved he felt at the birth of the Aston Martin AMR26. The car’s debut was the result of a true race against time.
“It was fantastic to see the car, especially knowing that it is the one we will use for racing. The car that briefly ran in Barcelona was completely black, partly because we didn’t have time to paint it. It was an incredible experience.”
“It’s funny, but Lawrence [Stroll] and I were standing side by side in the pit lane when Lance drove out of the garage. I think we were both close to getting emotional, because bringing the car to Barcelona was a long and emotional journey, full of passion and hard work.”
The team achieved something close to a miracle to make the Barcelona debut possible. Aston Martin accelerated procedures and skipped some of the usual approval steps in order not to miss the opportunity to run the car and uncover early-stage issues ahead of the Bahrain test.
Adrian Newey is often described as a visionary. Some have defined him as a technical mind capable of visualising airflow even before designing a car.
“Can I see the air? The answer, of course, is no, I can’t. But I try to do my best to visualise what the flow is and what it is likely to be. Nowadays we have CFD, computational fluid dynamics, which is a wonderful tool for fixing the flows on a computer screen and understanding what is happening inside them.
“Unlike the past, when we only had the wind tunnel and used smoke, foam and wool tufts to follow the airflow, we can now track it in far greater detail. But this research only tells you what is happening at a given moment. It’s about using those insights to move forward and develop the next idea.”
What philosophy lies behind the AMR26?
“The philosophy actually started during my gardening period [after leaving Red Bull Racing] at the end of April 2024, when I was effectively outside Formula 1. We all knew what the new regulations were, as they had already been published. So I tried to relax and think: ‘OK, I need to reason from the fundamental principles behind these regulations. What could be the best solution?’”
“I developed a philosophy and then, when I started working with the team on March 2, I discussed it with the Aston Martin aerodynamicists and designers. We all agreed that the proposed idea seemed the most viable, and that is the direction we have followed ever since.”
Regulation changes often create room for new ideas
“Every time there is a major regulation change, there are always huge opportunities. It depends on who is able to identify which solution will ultimately prove to be the correct one. Only time will tell. We saw that in 2022, when the last major regulation change came into force.”
“At the start of 2022 there were many different interpretations and solutions. In the end, one proved to be the right one, or at least the most appropriate, and by the beginning of 2024 everyone had started to converge towards it.”
The AMR26 will look very different throughout the season
The green Aston Martin will look very different in Melbourne compared to the version that will run during the Bahrain tests, and it is easy to imagine that the car seen in Abu Dhabi will be completely different again.
“I think we will see enormous development this year. I imagine that for many teams, ourselves included, the car used during the Barcelona shakedown will be quite different from the one that will actually race in Melbourne. I’m certain that development will continue throughout the entire season.”
Will the new rules allow cars to follow more closely?
“There has been a lot of talk about ease of overtaking, and that was also the objective of the 2022 regulation changes. If you ask the drivers, they will tell you that initially it helped a little. By the end of last season, however, they didn’t feel the situation was any better than in 2021. We could see something similar happen again now.”
The new Aston Martin factory: engineering opportunities
Aston Martin has grown rapidly. The AMR26 is the first car to be fully designed and built within the recently completed AMR Technology Campus. From an engineering perspective, what opportunities does the new factory offer?
“First of all, it’s a pleasant place to work. There is a good atmosphere. It’s a nice environment because, let’s be honest, many of us have been working 12 hours a day, if not more, over the past few months. So having a workplace where people feel comfortable is very important. And the layout of the building encourages collaboration because everything is very centralised.”
“And the facilities are second to none. Lawrence’s vision and his investment in this building have undoubtedly given us the best facilities in Formula 1. That will be an extraordinary advantage. But it is clearly only one part of the equation.
“The equally important second part is the people who populate the factory and the way they work together. That is the area where we are making huge progress.”
As the F1 community turns its eyes toward the official testing in Bahrain, Adrian Newey’s words serve as a reminder that the 2026 grid is still in its infancy. With the most advanced infrastructure in the sport and a design philosophy born from a clean-sheet approach, Aston Martin is positioning itself as a formidable force. While the shakedown car may have been a “black beauty” born of a race against the clock, the final version set for Melbourne will be the true test of this new collaboration. Under the guidance of the sport’s most successful designer, the Silverstone team is no longer just a contender—it is a factory-backed powerhouse ready to define a new generation of racing excellence.
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