New Aston Martin clue as Adrian Newey finds agreement over F1 2026 ‘tools’

Lance Stroll has conceded that Aston Martin does not yet have “all the tools to be a top team” ahead of the launch of the new ARM26 car for the F1 2026 season.

It comes after Adrian Newey, the newly installed team principal, highlighted Aston Martin’s simulation tools as a key area of weakness last year.

Lance Stroll echoes Adrian Newey concerns ahead of AMR26 arrival

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Much is expected from Aston Martin ahead of the F1 2026 season, which brings sweeping changes to the technical regulations as the sport embraces 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics.

The new season will mark the start of Aston Martin’s highly anticipated technical partnership with Honda, Red Bull’s former engine supplier.

Development of the AMR26 is being led by Adrian Newey, the legendary F1 tech guru, who has become Aston Martin team principal ahead of the new season.

Newey made his first trackside appearances with Aston Martin last season following his high-profile move from Red Bull.

Why Adrian Newey’s bond with Fernando Alonso is key for Aston Martin

Why Adrian Newey’s private Alonso talks are so important for Aston Martin

F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the F1 2026 grid?

Speaking at last year’s Monaco Grand Prix, Newey tempered expectations surrounding Aston Martin for 2026 by branding the team’s simulation tools “weak.”

Newey went on to claim that Aston Martin’s driver-in-the-loop simulator – a crucial development device for teams in the era of limited testing – particularly “needs a lot of work.”

Aston Martin has since taken steps to remedy the situation, bringing Newey’s former Red Bull colleague Giles Wood – a highly regarded figure in the simulation world – back to F1 a matter of weeks after the veteran’s comments.

As reported by PlanetF1.com, the team then hired former Ferrari simulations man Marco Fainello, who worked at the Scuderia during Michael Schumacher’s period of dominance, on a consultancy basis in November.

Stroll has admitted that Aston Martin does not yet have “all the tools to be a top team” at this stage in its development.

Asked about his gut feeling over where Aston Martin will be in the 2026 pecking order, he told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “It’s a big question mark for everybody.

“No one knows at this time of the year how everyone’s going to look in Melbourne.

“For sure, we don’t have all the tools to be a top team, so there’s no hiding behind that, but time will tell how good we look.

“I think, for us, it’s exciting, going forward to the new regulations, with everyone coming on board, the new structure and all the people.

“We’re looking forward to it as a team.”

Asked directly by PlanetF1.com if Newey’s promotion to a senior role has applied more pressure on the team to perform, he added: “I think it’s just good for everyone because Adrian is just all about performance and winning.

“That’s what we’re here for, to be fast and competitive, and that’s what Adrian’s pushing everyone to be better at.

“Having Adrian around is only positive for everyone to push, everyone to be better and to make the car faster.”

Stroll’s comments come after Honda became the first manufacturer to release images of its new power unit for 2026 on Friday.

In addition to the still images, a short video clip – produced for attendees of the Tokyo Auto Salon event – widely circulated online showing the Honda engine in its entirety.

Honda will hold an unusual engine-launch event in Tokyo on January 20, six days before the start of F1’s first pre-season test in Barcelona, which is to be held behind closed doors.

Aston Martin will then officially launch the AMR26 on February 9 ahead of the remaining two winter tests in Bahrain.

Koji Watanabe, the president of the Honda Racing Corporation, issued an update on the Japanese manufacturer’s progress earlier this week, admitting that “not everything is going well” with the development of its new engine.

Watanabe told Japanese outlet Sportiva: “To be honest, not everything is going well, so there are many areas where we are struggling, but nothing fatal has happened that we cannot overcome.

“In this situation, we are quietly concentrating on improving performance and reliability.

“Aston Martin also wants to keep building cars that reflect Adrian’s vision, so I think the next step for us on the power unit side is to figure out how to adapt to that.

“If doing so increases our competitiveness and makes us more likely to win, then we’ll do whatever it takes!”

Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Exclusive: How Alpine F1 company document could impact Christian Horner F1 return option