Adrian Newey reveals first Aston Martin AMR26 design details in F1 2026 update
Aston Martin's future is in Adrian Newey's hands
Adrian Newey has revealed that he is currently working on the fundamental elements of the Aston Martin AMR26 car for the F1 2026 season.
According to the design legend, his current focus is the suspension, the size of the fuel tank and the wheelbase – all parts that will not change over the course of next year.
Adrian Newey reveals initial Aston Martin AMR26 design details
Newey stands as the most decorated individual in F1 history with involvement in more than 200 race wins and a combined 26 Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles for the likes of Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.
The 66-year-old officially linked up with Aston Martin shortly before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March, arriving in the newly created role of managing technical partner. He is also a part-owner after acquiring a shareholding in the F1 team.
Newey is leading development of the team’s first car for the new F1 2026 rules – which will see the sport embrace 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics – along with incoming engine supplier Honda and team partners Aramco and Valvoline.
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Newey’s arrival has raised hopes that Aston Martin could emerge as a title-contending force under F1’s new regulations having developed a reputation for acing new rules with his previous teams.
The Brit revealed that he is currently carrying out work on the basic architecture of Aston Martin’s 2026 car – expected to be named the AMR26 – ahead of next season.
He went on to add that work on the front and rear wings and general bodywork will come later in the design process, with these parts offering greater scope for future adjustment via in-season upgrades.
According to German publication F1-Insider, he said: “These are the layout of the front and rear suspension, the fuel tank size and the wheelbase.
“On the one hand, we don’t have enough time. And on the other, our simulation tools may be a bit weak.
“So we have to try to make the best possible assessments.
“If necessary, the body and wings can be adjusted during the season.”
Newey is understood to have personally designed the suspension for the RB18, the first Red Bull car developed for the ground-effect regulations in 2022.
The suspension proved a key element in Max Verstappen’s post-2022 dominance, with Red Bull enjoying the most successful season in F1 history in 2023 by winning 21 out of a possible 22 races with the RB19 car as the Dutchman lifted a third successive title.
In an interview with Aston Martin’s official website in May, Newey claimed that the 2026 rules offer more scope for “innovation” than he originally feared, echoing his previous comments about the 2022 regulations.
He said: “My thoughts on the ’26 regulations are similar to what my thoughts were about the big regulation change for 2022: initially thinking the regulations were so prescriptive that there wasn’t much left here [for a designer].
“But then you start to drill into the detail and realise there’s more flexibility for innovation and different approaches than first meets the eye.
“We saw that at the start of 2022, with teams taking really quite different directions.
“Now, of course, four seasons on, they’ve largely converged, but initially that wasn’t the case.
“Variation between teams is great. It’s all a bit boring if the cars look identical and the only way you can tell them apart is the livery.
“I think there’s a high probability that in ’26 we’ll see something similar to ’22.
“There’s enough flexibility in the regulations, and I’m sure people will come up with different solutions.
“Some of those will be dropped over the first two or three years as teams start to converge.”
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Newey’s revelation sparked suggestions that the F1 design guru has identified a potential loophole in the F1 2026 rules that could give Aston Martin a significant performance advantage.
Damon Hill, the former Sky F1 pundit who steered one of Newey’s Williams designs to the 1996 title, was among those left convinced that the Aston Martin man has discovered a loophole.
Responding to Newey’s comments, Hill speculated on social media: “Hmmm. He’s found something.”
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