Aston Martin has divided its workforce into two parts: one dedicated to developing the AMR25, which underwent its first tests in Bahrain, and another already working full-time on the 2026 project.
Adrian Newey, who joined the Silverstone team yesterday and took possession of his new office, has the freedom to intervene on both cars. Andy Cowell, the team’s CEO and principal, wants those focused on next year’s F1 regulations to be fully immersed in the new concept, leaving a smaller team to refine the “green machine,” which did not particularly impress in Sakhir.
Although the chassis, engine, gearbox, and rear suspension have been carried over, the new car assigned to Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll represents a significant shift in philosophy. Dan Fallows had designed the AMR24’s aerodynamics to be efficient in high-speed corners, a flawed approach that led to the creation of seven different floors in an attempt to find balance. This consumed much of the development budget and ultimately cost Fallows—once considered a protégé of Adrian Newey at Red Bull—his position.
The car has been significantly revised, with the radiators moved above the Mercedes engine, freeing up the sidepods, which have been redesigned accordingly. The AMR25, developed in Brackley’s wind tunnel, has returned to being a car optimized for low-speed performance, much like the successful AMR23. This suggests that relocating part of the cooling system towards the rear and adopting more extreme shapes may still require fine-tuning. However, the foundation of the new car is decidedly stronger than last season’s model.
Regarding the 2026 car, the program is behind schedule. A dedicated team has been working on the basic concept built around the Honda power unit, but everyone had been waiting for Newey to take charge of the project. This delay was compounded by the Modena Tribunal blocking Enrico Cardile’s transfer from Maranello to Silverstone. The Italian engineer will only be able to take up his role as Aston Martin’s technical director in mid-July, by which time the new car’s design will already be underway.
Meanwhile, the aerodynamics team has been unable to test a 2026-regulation model in the wind tunnel because the facility at the Technology Campus is still being finalized. The calibration process to obtain reliable and, most importantly, repeatable data is nearing completion, and it is no coincidence that the system might be ready just as the “genius” arrives.
Timelines are running late, but the prevailing opinion in Silverstone is that Aston Martin will not be immediately competitive, despite having a works engine and Aramco’s e-fuel, considered the most advanced zero-emissions fuel.
The new facility, while equipped with the most modern infrastructure, still needs time to reach full operational capacity. Having the team split between two projects does not help either, making it reasonable to assume that true ambitions will be postponed until 2027…
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