Adrian Newey inspects Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari SF-26 at Australian Grand Prix
Ferrari was rumoured to be interested in Adrian Newey before he joined Aston Martin in 2024
Aston Martin boss Adrian Newey was spotted inspecting Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari SF-26 on the grid ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, it has emerged.
Formula 1’s new era got underway in Melbourne last weekend as George Russell and Kimi Antonelli brought home a Mercedes one-two finish.
Adrian Newey studies Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari SF-26 at Australian GP
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Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc finished third, 15.5 seconds adrift of Russell, with the seven-time world champion crossing the line in fourth to equal his best result since his move from Mercedes to Ferrari at the start of 2025.
The Australian Grand Prix appeared to confirm pre-season predictions that Ferrari is the closest challenger to Mercedes at this stage of the F1 2026 season, with the second round due to take place in China this weekend.
Analysis: Australian Grand Prix
Australian GP conclusions: Formula Net Zero, Russell’s main threat, Aston Martin-Honda mistake
Winners and losers from the 2026 Australian Grand Prix (Albert Park)
Newey’s Aston Martin team endured a troubled season opener at Albert Park, where Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both failed to reach the chequered flag.
It came just days after Newey, the newly installed team principal, warned that Aston Martin’s drivers risked “permanent nerve damage” to their hands due to severe vibrations from the team’s new Honda engine.
As reported by PlanetF1.com on Monday, Newey – who is renowned for studying the designs of rival teams on the starting grid – was pictured taking a close look at Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi R26 ahead of the race in Australia.
And it has emerged that Hamilton’s Ferrari also caught the 67-year-old’s eye as the start approached (below).
The SF-26 emerged as one of the most interesting cars from a technical perspective during testing in Bahrain last month.
Ferrari introduced an exhaust-mounted flap during the second test in Sakhir before debuting a highly innovative ‘rotating’ active aero rear wing 24 hours later.
As revealed by PlanetF1.com tech editor Matt Somerfield, the flip rear wing – which was not used in Australia – is believed to have been considered by rival teams ahead of the 2026 season.
However, those teams are thought to have overlooked it due to concerns over potential drawbacks.
These include a brief sail-like effect during the opening and closing phase, which also takes longer than a more conventional DRS-style rear wing.
It remains to be seen whether the rotating rear wing will reappear during the F1 2026 campaign.
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