All articles tagged with #amr26
Aston Martin will unveil a major two-stage B-spec upgrade to the AMR26 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, steered by Adrian Newey, featuring significant aero changes and weight reduction with Honda power-unit upgrades due at the Dutch GP; the plan signals a reset after a rough start and a shift toward building the team in Newey’s image, though results must meet high expectations.
Aston Martin’s AMR26, powered by Honda, is hit by serious reliability issues, with vibration-induced battery failures in the hybrid system raising Bahrain-level concerns and forcing Honda to scramble to support the team ahead of the Australian GP; Aston considered skipping Melbourne under force majeure, a crisis unit has been formed, and Adrian Newey’s staff and other experts are involved, jeopardizing the team’s title bid and image.
Honda has admitted its 2026 F1 power unit is underperforming in both speed and reliability, as Aston Martin ran the Bahrain pre-season test with significant issues. A data anomaly and a power-unit fault restricted track time, leaving Aston Martin four seconds off Ferrari’s pace. Honda says it is collaborating across Sakura, Milton Keynes and Silverstone to identify solutions and improve both performance and reliability.
RacingNews365 reports Aston Martin’s AMR26 has a radically new aero concept, featuring a wide, seagull-like nose, ultra-short sidepods, upward-facing air inlets, a forward engine air intake, a tall shark fin and other innovations, with Adrian Newey-driven design awaiting Bahrain tests to gauge performance potential.
Day 4 of the Barcelona pre-season test saw Mercedes top the unofficial times with a 1m16.4s lap (George Russell), while Aston Martin’s AMR26 did not appear on track. Ferrari and Mercedes logged heavy mileage, Cadillac and Audi joined the field, and McLaren’s Piastri cited a fuel-system issue that cut running short; with cold conditions, the times are not a reliable indicator of pace.