Newey ‘in a trance’ as Aston Martin AMR26 progress update issued
Adrian Newey: Aston Martin's ticket to the top?
Adrian Newey has entered “a trance” as the Formula 1 design guru continues work on the Aston Martin AMR26 car for the F1 2026 season.
That is the claim of Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, who believes “all the pieces of the puzzle” are coming together for the Silverstone-based team.
Lance Stroll: Adrian Newey ‘in a trance’ working on Aston Martin AMR26
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Newey, the most decorated individual in F1 history with more than 200 race wins and a combined 26 Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles to his name, officially linked up with Aston Martin in March following a highly productive stint at Red Bull.
The 66-year-old was appointed to the newly created role of managing technical partner, as well fulfilling a long-held ambition of becoming a team shareholder.
Newey is currently working on Aston Martin’s first car – expected to be named the AMR26 – for the new F1 2026 rules, which will see the sport embrace 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics as the chassis and engine regulations are overhauled simultaneously.
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Next season will mark the start of Aston Martin’s highly anticipated partnership with Honda, the current engine supplier of the Red Bull team.
Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, Stroll quipped that Newey “is in a trance” as work steps up on the AMR26.
And he claimed that the stars are finally aligning for Aston Martin following a lean couple of years, with the pieces in place for the team to make significant strides in F1 2026.
Stroll said: “Adrian right now is in a trance focused on drawing next year’s car.
“We spent some time together and it’s always great just hearing what he has to say and just talking about the future.
“But right now, it’s full focus on making next year’s machine.
“He’s been doing it for this long and he’s won more championships than anyone in this paddock, so I guess that says it all.”
Asked why he smiles so much when talking about Newey, he replied: “I think there’s not much reason not to smile about Adrian Newey making next year’s car, so it’s all exciting times.”
Put to him that Newey’s status as a shareholder makes his relationship with Aston Martin different to other teams, Stroll said: “Yeah.
“I think he’s just so passionate and excited about the new regs.
“That’s what’s awesome to see, just how much passion, focus, effort is going into the new new regs and the team too.
“Just being in a new environment, new team, he’s just uplifting everyone and just creating this healthier culture inside of the whole factory.
“That’s pretty awesome to see.”
On Honda’s arrival, Stroll added: “Also very exciting. All of it.
“Just all the pieces of the puzzle coming together and it’s just an exciting time for us as a team.”
More on Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso from PlanetF1.com
Stroll’s comments come after his Aston Martin team-mate, the two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso, outlined his enjoyment of the “learning phase” of establishing a working relationship with Newey.
Asked if he is starting to understand how Newey thinks and works, Alonso told media including PlanetF1.com: “Yes, definitely.
“You spend more time with him and you keep learning things and how he works and how he approach things, challenges, all these normal day-by-day, things in Formula 1.
“But I think he’s still a person that is very special and I think only few people will understand him fully and will be able to know exactly what he’s thinking and what he’s doing.
“So we will need more time. At the moment, we are in a phase of learning from him.
“Every conversation, every idea, everything that he says, we take it very carefully.
“We listen and we try to understand the approach that he’s taking into that comment.
“And thanks to that, I think we are growing as a team, so it has been very special for sure.”
Asked if he gets feels that Newey understands him too, Alonso pointed to Newey’s ability to put himself in a driver’s shoes will prove an advantage for Aston Martin.
He said: “I think so!
“I think all the questions and all the ideas that he raises, he explains why he thinks that it’s going to be a good solution for the team, for the car and for the drivers as well.
“In terms of how to approach the corner entry, maybe next year is very different than this year’s cars.
“Top speed is going to be different next year. Tyres are going to be different next year.
“So he tries to anticipate what the drivers will face in certain moments on the lap, in quali, versus the race and all this kind of thing.
“So he’s very educative.”
Earlier this year, Newey revealed that the F1 2026 regulations offer more scope for creativity and innovation that first feared – mirroring his comments about the 2022 rules, which opened the door for Red Bull to dominate with Max Verstappen.
Newey’s remarks fuelled suggestions that the legendary designer has identified a potential loophole in the new ruleset, with former Sky F1 pundit and 1996 World Champion Damon Hill among those left convinced.
Taking to social media at the time, Hill wrote: “Hmmm. He’s found something.”
Read next: F1 uncovered: The challenges faced by F1 teams in 2026
