Adrian Newey has revealed that Aston Martin is already working on its 2027 Formula 1 car, with the Silverstone team determined to avoid a repeat of the delays and compromises that affected the AMR26. The Aston Martin team principal has also identified the front section of the floor as the most important area affected by next season’s regulation changes.
The recently completed Hungarian Grand Prix represented an important turning point in Aston Martin’s season. A substantial upgrade package effectively transformed the AMR26 into a heavily revised car, while an updated Honda power unit specification is due to make its race debut at Zandvoort. Together, those developments are intended to revive what has so far been a deeply frustrating campaign.
While Aston Martin waits for the Formula 1 season to resume after the summer break and for the AMR26-B to demonstrate its potential across the remaining rounds, work at the team’s Silverstone headquarters is continuing without interruption.
Adrian Newey’s Aston Martin 2027 F1 car work is already under way
In a recent interview published on Aston Martin’s official website, Adrian Newey explained that the team has entered the initial research phase for its 2027 Formula 1 car, a project that will carry considerable expectations.
“We are in the early stages of research. Right now, it is about the big architectural decisions: where to position the engine within the car’s wheelbase, how to position the chassis, and all those fundamental choices involving components with very long lead times. We are assessing the front and rear suspension concepts, the shape of the gearbox and all the elements that have a major influence on aerodynamics.”
The immediate priority is to finalise the fundamental architecture of next season’s car as early as possible. Aston Martin wants to avoid the delays that complicated the development of the AMR26 and forced the technical department to complete important areas of the project under intense time pressure.
Those problems contributed to Aston Martin’s difficult start to the 2026 season, with the rushed development process creating inefficiencies in areas such as weight reduction and aerodynamic evaluation.
“We did not do as good a job as we should have in controlling the weight. When you design in a rush, weight is the first thing to suffer, because you do not have the time to optimise everything thoroughly. Aerodynamically, we also chose a bold direction, largely driven by me, but without the luxury of exploring several concepts in depth because time was against us.”
The 2027 F1 rule change Adrian Newey considers most important
The 2027 Formula 1 season will be the second year of the regulatory cycle introduced in 2026, but teams will still have to respond to several important technical adjustments. For Aston Martin, those changes represent another opportunity to make progress after the difficulties encountered during the opening year of the new formula.
Adrian Newey believes the most significant modification will concern the front section of the floor, commonly known as the tea tray or bib.
“The power unit will change and will be able to use around five per cent more fuel, while on the chassis side the tea tray — the front section of the floor — will change. The leading edge has been moved by around 300 millimetres, allowing the front of the car to run closer to the ground. That creates a different set of aerodynamic characteristics and, in our view, it is the most important change.
“Everyone will have a new aerodynamic challenge to solve, but we are confident because today we are in a much better position to take advantage of the regulation changes than we were a year ago.”
For Aston Martin, the 2027 project is therefore being shaped by the lessons learned during the difficult development of the AMR26. Earlier architectural decisions should give the technical department more time to optimise the car’s weight, packaging and aerodynamic characteristics rather than being forced to accept compromises late in the process.
Before attention turns fully towards 2027, however, the AMR26-B and Honda’s updated power unit will determine how much progress Aston Martin can make during the second half of the current campaign. The first major test will arrive at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, where the revised package will face a very different circuit compared with the Hungaroring.
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