‘Very extreme’ – Adrian Newey’s AMR26 suspension catches eye of rival F1 team boss

James Vowles, the Williams team principal, has branded Adrian Newey’s suspension choice for the Aston Martin AMR26 “very extreme.”

And the Williams boss has light-heartedly quipped that Newey has managed to put wishbones “in places that I don’t think they should be.”

James Vowles impressed by ‘very extreme’ Adrian Newey suspension design

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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, brought the paddock to a standstill when it took to the track for the first time in last month’s shakedown in Barcelona.

As noted in his in-depth analysis of the AMR26, PlanetF1.com tech editor Matt Somerfield wrote that the car has a range of fascinating design features with some seemingly inspired by the experiences of Newey’s illustrious F1 career.

The car’s rear suspension has emerged as a particular area of focus, with Mercedes driver George Russell describing the AMR26 as “probably the most standout in terms of car design” in F1 2026.

Russell told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets this week: “I think everybody was looking at that rear suspension and it obviously visually looks very impressive.

“But it’s not a competition of how sexy it is, it’s a competition of how fast it goes around the track.”

Vowles has become the latest paddock figure to highlight the car’s rear suspension, describing Newey’s first Aston Martin as “really impressive” from an engineering perspective.

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Asked to name the most impressive cars at the recent Barcelona test, Vowles also highlighted the reliability of the Red Bull-Ford engine, the consistency of the Ferrari SF-26 and the “robust and reliable” Mercedes W17.

He said: “First of all, I’ve been really impressed with Red Bull, especially on the power unit side.

“To do a power unit from scratch and turn out to be that reliable is mighty. Well done to them.

“Number two: Ferrari’s consistency. Perhaps the outright pace is in question, but the consistency is really impressive for them again from the get go.

“And Mercedes always.

“I knew, I [was] there for a long time, they’re very good at getting regulation changes right and walking out with a package that’s just robust and reliable.

“But if you’re doing a race sim just about a day into testing, it’s very, very impressive.

“And then finally, you mentioned the Aston. It’s really impressive.

“Adrian is just a creative designer and it’s really impressive what he’s done with wishbones in places that I don’t think they should be, but he’s done them.

“What’s interesting, though, is it’s exactly that that you need as a narrative.

“I mentioned before it’s hard for anyone to tell you where the ordering is, because also I don’t think the cars you necessarily see today will be the cars you see in Melbourne.

“That’s what makes it interesting in the beginning of season.

“So they’ve impressed me, but where they all sit? It’s hard to tell.”

On the Aston Martin AMR26, Vowles added: “In terms of Adrian, I sort of intonated it a bit, but you’ll see it on our front wishbone. It’s slightly different.

“But where Adrian’s gone is… Adrian: very impressive, very creative, very extreme.

“I wouldn’t want to be the designer for that one, let’s put it that way…”

Vowles’ comments come after Newey confirmed earlier this week that the AMR26 will be “very different” when the opening race of the season, the Australian Grand Prix, takes place on March 8.

A high rate of development is expected in 2026, the first year of the new chassis and engine regulations.

Despite Vowles’ admission that Williams’ front suspension is “slightly different” for 2026, the team has made a concerted effort to keep its design a secret ahead of next week’s second pre-season test in Bahrain.

As reported by PlanetF1.com on Thursday, the showcar and renders released by Williams at launch had some suspension arms missing.

The team later confirmed that it has opted for a pullrod front suspension and pushrod rear suspension for the FW48, with Williams going on to publish the first official image of the car on track in a shakedown at Silverstone (below).

Williams’ suspension choice means it is the only team to opt for a split between pushrod and pullrod suspension for 2026.

Most teams have elected to run a pushrod suspension at both the front and rear for the new season.

Alpine and Cadillac are the only teams running a double-pullrod suspension.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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