The Adrian Newey era at Aston Martin has started with some challenges following the Bahrain tests, but Fernando Alonso remains confident as the 2026 season approaches. This year marks a fresh start for the Silverstone team, with the debut of the first car designed by Newey for Aston Martin. On top of that, a new partnership with Honda is now in effect, supplying the team’s Power Unit.
However, the collective shakedown in Barcelona, which Aston Martin attended late, and the Bahrain tests did not deliver the results the team or Newey had hoped for. Despite these initial setbacks, Alonso is optimistic about the start of the season.
Early testing challenges
Aston Martin only partially completed the Barcelona shakedown, the first chance for teams to gather data on their new-generation cars. During the first official test session in Bahrain, held from February 11 to 13, Aston Martin faced several difficulties. Like the other ten teams on the grid, the Silverstone squad will have additional opportunities to test before the season opener, with another Bahrain session scheduled from February 18 to 20.
Fernando Alonso spoke to Sky Sports F1 about the challenges at the start of the season: “There are many things we need to ‘unlock.’ Honestly, for us, this is really the first test because missing Barcelona wasn’t ideal. We are still going step by step, improving performance, and we’ve identified several areas that need work.”
A car ready for Melbourne
According to Alonso, the car that will appear at the first race of the season on March 8, 2026, will be significantly different from what has been seen so far. “The Melbourne car will be very different. I’ve seen some photos, and Adrian [Newey] also mentioned it during the car launch,” he said. Alonso added: “Not just for Melbourne—we have a guy who, after over 30 years in Formula 1, has dominated the sport the whole time, so in the end we’ll have the best car. It’s just a matter of time, but we want to get there as soon as possible.”
The collaboration between Adrian Newey and Honda represents arguably the most formidable technical alliance of the 2026 era, yet their “uphill” start proves that even the greatest minds face challenges with such radical regulation shifts. Fernando Alonso’s revelation that a significantly different car is already prepared for Melbourne suggests that Aston Martin’s testing struggles may simply be a case of a team running a “launch spec” while the true performance package is being finalized. As the paddock moves toward the season opener, all eyes will be on the Albert Park pit lane to see if Newey’s first major move can bridge the gap to the frontrunners.
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