Adrian Newey: Aston Martin AMR26 will be ‘very different’ for Australian Grand Prix
What does Adrian Newey have up his sleeve with the Aston Martin AMR26?
Adrian Newey has teased that the Aston Martin AMR26 will be “very different” when the Australian Grand Prix kicks off the F1 2026 season in Melbourne next month.
Aston Martin’s 2026 car caused a stir when it broke cover at last week’s shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Adrian Newey teases significant early Aston Martin AMR26 upgrade
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The AMR26, the first Aston Martin F1 car to be designed by Newey since his high-profile move from Red Bull, was noted for its striking differences compared to other cars of the F1 2026 grid.
As noted by PlanetF1.com tech editor Matt Somerfield, the car appears to blend a range of ideas from Newey’s illustrious career.
For example, the car’s wide nose has been likened to the design Newey pursued during Red Bull’s first dominant period with Sebastian Vettel between 2010 and 2013, with the 67-year-old also bringing back the iconic ‘horns’ used on the McLaren MP4-20 in 2005.
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The AMR26 also caught the attention of Mercedes driver George Russell, who conceded that the Aston Martin was “probably the most standout” in terms of design.
Russell also highlighted the car’s rear suspension as “very impressive.”
In an interview with the official website of the Aston Martin F1 team, Newey has teased that the team will introduce a major upgrade package before the start of the season in Melbourne on March 8.
“The AMR26 that races in Melbourne is going to be very different to the one people saw at the Barcelona shakedown,” he said.
“And the AMR26 that we finish the season with in Abu Dhabi is going to be very different to the one that we start the season with.
“It’s very important to keep an open mind [with development].”
Newey wrote in his 2017 book, How To Build A Car, that he approaches a new set of regulations with two key principles in mind.
One is to find solutions that rival teams will struggle to copy, with the other being to ensure that the car has long-term development potential over the course of a given rules cycle.
Newey went on to admit that long-term development has been a factor in his design of the AMR26.
“We’ve attempted to build something that we hope will have quite a lot of development potential,” he explained.
“What you want to try to avoid is a car that comes out quite optimised within its window but lacks a lot of development potential.
“We’ve tried to do the opposite, which is why we’ve really focused on the fundamentals, put our effort into those, knowing that some of the appendages – wings, bodywork, things that can be changed in season – will hopefully have development potential.”
Most teams are expected to make significant tweaks to their cars between the Barcelona shakedown and the Australian Grand Prix.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed over the winter break that the Scuderia will effectively introduce a B-spec car at some stage during the final two pre-season tests in Bahrain later this month.
In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com at the end of last season, meanwhile, Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane said the team will make a “significant update” to the VCARB03 car before the first race of F1 2026.
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