Will Adrian Newey’s expertise be enough to take Aston Martin to the top of the Formula 1 grid in 2026? According to a former world champion, there is little doubt. Starting in 2026, Aston Martin will kick off the new regulatory cycle alongside Honda, with Adrian Newey leading the team as principal. Damon Hill believes that Newey’s technical leadership could be the breakthrough the Silverstone outfit has been waiting for, following the significant investments made in recent years by team owner Lawrence Stroll.
Newey joined Aston Martin at the start of last season and immediately focused on the 2026 car, preparing the team as managing technical partner for the regulatory revolution. By the end of 2025, it was announced that Newey would take on the role of team principal, replacing Andy Cowell.
Speaking to talkSPORT, 1996 world champion Damon Hill, who won the title with a Williams designed by Newey himself, commented: “We might see a real change of guard in F1 this year. I mean, we could witness a complete surprise—something like when Jenson Button won with Brawn: they shocked everyone because they interpreted the regulations better than anyone else.”
Hill continued: “And the master at interpreting regulations is Adrian Newey, who has moved to Aston Martin. He left Red Bull and Max Verstappen behind, and Christian Horner stayed with that team, but Newey went to Aston Martin. He’s been working on this project for about 18 months now. So we can expect him to wave his magic wand over Aston Martin. It could happen.”
However, the issue of the engine revolution introduced by the new regulations remains central. Aston Martin has opted to leave Mercedes and start a new partnership with Honda, a manufacturer that initially struggled when it entered F1 in 2015 but eventually reached the top with Red Bull. The key question will be how well Honda interprets this change compared to the other engine suppliers.
Leave a Reply