Aston Martin realised several months ago that a change of direction was necessary. The AMR26, conceived around an extreme aerodynamic philosophy, failed to deliver the answers the team expected, and after months of development the project has begun moving in a different direction on track. The upgrades introduced primarily in Hungary and then further developed at Zandvoort therefore represent much more than another aerodynamic package: they amount to a genuine correction of course.
The signs from the revised AMR26-B are increasingly encouraging for Adrian Newey and Fernando Alonso, but Aston Martin still faces a major obstacle. While progress on the chassis has become much more convincing, Honda’s power unit is believed to remain around 70 hp behind Mercedes, leaving the Silverstone team with a significant performance deficit that cannot realistically be eliminated with a single update.
Aston Martin’s new AMR26-B gives Fernando Alonso more confidence
The original high-rake concept, a philosophy long favoured by Adrian Newey, proved too difficult to exploit under the 2026 regulations. The idea was ambitious: use a greater rake angle to feed the floor and create an extremely efficient aerodynamic platform. In reality, however, Aston Martin was unable to provide the rear of the car with the airflow stability required to make the concept work properly.
Adrian Newey therefore had to acknowledge that the original direction was not producing the desired results and make changes. Aston Martin’s difficult start to the new regulations has already prompted considerable development work, with the team attempting to unlock the potential of a car that was initially unable to translate its ambitious concepts into consistent performance. A substantial package arrived in Budapest, changing several areas of the AMR26 and, above all, bringing its behaviour closer to that of the other cars on the grid. The Hungarian upgrade marked a significant step towards a more usable aerodynamic platform.
Development continued at Zandvoort with further changes, confirming that Aston Martin has established a new baseline. That foundation is expected to receive additional updates between Monza and Baku, including work on weight reduction, one of the most problematic aspects of the AMR26 at the beginning of the season.
The progress has already helped Aston Martin become more competitive, although Fernando Alonso expects Monza to expose some of the AMR26’s remaining limitations after the team’s encouraging performance at Zandvoort.
Adrian Newey may not have abandoned Aston Martin’s high-rake philosophy
The move towards a more conventional configuration should not necessarily be interpreted as a permanent abandonment of the high-rake philosophy. In fact, the opposite could ultimately be true, with Aston Martin potentially using its current development programme to build the platform required to increase the rake again in the future. The FIA regulation changes planned for 2027, particularly those affecting the leading section of the floor, will alter the way teams manage airflow underneath the car. According to a senior engineer currently working in Formula 1, a concept that is difficult to make work today could therefore become considerably more attractive under next year’s regulations.
This is where Adrian Newey could once again become a central figure. The work completed during the current season has allowed Aston Martin to understand its new aerodynamic platform more clearly and could serve as preparation for the next step: gradually recovering the higher-rake philosophy that has necessarily been scaled back with the AMR26-B.
The wider Aston Martin project remains heavily dependent on how successfully the different elements come together. Adrian Newey has previously spoken about the challenges of integrating the chassis and power unit after a difficult beginning to the new regulations, while the Aston Martin-Honda working relationship has improved following its troubled start.
Honda power-unit deficit remains Aston Martin’s biggest concern
There is, however, a major problem, and it is called the Honda power unit. While the chassis finally appears to have moved in a genuinely promising direction, the Japanese engine remains the AMR26’s principal limitation.
Honda introduced an upgrade worth approximately 17 hp at Zandvoort, corresponding to around two tenths of a second as previously anticipated. It was a useful improvement, but still some way short of the approximately 30 hp the new specification is potentially capable of delivering. Honda itself has confirmed that more performance should become available as development continues. Shintaro Orihara explained: “Performance will improve as we implement measures and continue with optimisation.”
However, the Dutch Grand Prix weekend was complicated by the fact that the power increase produced virtually no visible gain in lap time. The new engine specification had already encountered significant optimisation problems during Aston Martin’s filming day in Hungary.
Without going too deeply into the technical details, the issues are understood to include inconsistent engine-braking settings during downshifts and braking, together with problems surrounding the torque curve under acceleration and several other smaller concerns. Honda nevertheless completed the Zandvoort weekend without major reliability problems, even though drivability remains an important area requiring further development.
Honda reportedly remains around 70 hp behind Mercedes
The Honda power unit is believed to remain approximately 70 hp behind Mercedes, currently the benchmark for the Japanese manufacturer’s comparison. On average, a deficit of that size could be worth around 1.2 seconds per lap, and crucially it is not something Honda can erase with a single update.
An engine specialist close to the Ferrari environment believes that completely recovering a deficit of this scale could require as much as two years of development, as previously discussed during a recent YouTube live broadcast. That estimate illustrates the scale of the challenge facing Honda.
Honda has already acknowledged that recovering its full competitiveness will be a longer-term process. Its development programme extends beyond the current season, with the manufacturer outlining a 2027–2028 timeframe for its Aston Martin power-unit recovery.
Aston Martin explores alternatives as Honda struggles
There is therefore a degree of frustration inside Aston Martin. It is no coincidence that senior figures at the Silverstone team have already spoken with Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains to explore the possibility, currently considered remote, of obtaining an engine supply from the 2028 season.
If the chassis project is finally beginning to respond, there is a feeling that the potential of Aston Martin’s 2027 car could continue to be heavily restricted by a power unit that is not yet at the required level. The possibility of changing supplier is not currently the preferred scenario, but Aston Martin has already explored its future engine options in case Honda’s difficulties continue.
Honda, for its part, remains more optimistic, although the Japanese manufacturer does not expect to arrive at the start of 2027 with the best power unit on the Formula 1 grid. The objective is instead to use the winter and the coming season to continue closing the gap, with confidence that a very significant step forward can be made during 2027.
Fernando Alonso increasingly tempted by Aston Martin renewal
This is the real gamble facing Aston Martin. Adrian Newey has already corrected the team’s present direction in an attempt to build a stronger future in the short term, while Honda must accept that it is not yet in a position to close its deficit quickly. After several difficult months, the chassis finally appears to have found a direction, but the power unit remains a long way from where Aston Martin needs it to be.
The central question is therefore simple: when will Aston Martin finally be able to combine front-running aerodynamics with a power unit capable of matching them?
Forty-five-year-old Fernando Alonso would certainly like that answer as soon as possible. The Spaniard has, however, received the responses he was looking for from the chassis side of the project and is therefore increasingly inclined to renew his contract to see what Aston Martin can achieve next season. His future has become one of the team’s most important questions, with the opportunity to continue working with Adrian Newey potentially giving Fernando Alonso another reason to extend his Aston Martin career.
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