New Aston Martin AMR26 performance clue as ‘good understanding’ emerges

Aston Martin already has a good understanding of what its 2026 F1 season will look like.

And while it may not know exactly where in the pecking order it might sit, Mike Krack believes the squad already knows the tracks that will suit it.

Aston Martin coy on prospects ahead of major F1 2026 rule change

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New regulations for F1 2026 promise to upset the established pecking order with all new chassis and power unit rules coming into effect.

F1 has moved away from underfloor aero, which dominated the previous era, in favour of movable wings and an increase in electrical power out of the engine.

Typically, rule changes impact the car or power unit at any given point, making the 2026 rule change significantly greater in terms of its potential impact.

That’s underscored by limits to how much teams can spent, their development time in key areas, and technical limitations designed to equalise the playing field while still affording individuality.

Each team is currently in the mist of car build and last minute development work ahead of pre-season running beginning in Barcelona in three weeks.

As they do so, none of the 11 teams set to take the grid at the opening round in Australia know where they’ll slot in against their rivals, though they have some idea of how their season will unfold.

“I think we have a good understanding in general,” said Krack, Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer, when asked if the team had any concept of what 2026 looks like.

“We know, for example, which circuits should be better suited to our car and which circuit may be less good for us.

“There are circuits where you will be strong, and circuits you will be less strong, and you have to manage to get the maximum out of it.

“You can see there is some cars in some circuits that are super quick, and then in others they are not.

“This comes from the characteristic that you have developed your aerodynamic platform.”

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Aston Martin has recruited heavily in recent years, complementing investments made into its infrastructure.

That has afforded Adrian Newey the opportunity to work on the team’s 2026 car in an all-new wind tunnel, with the help of Enrico Cardile, the team’s chief technical officer.

It’s that combination of elements – impressive new facilities and high profile staff, coupled with the arrival of factory Honda power units – has prompted many to suggest Aston Martin could be a dark horse for the coming campaign.

Well-placed sources, however, take a more cautious approach.

While the elements are there for a strong start, much of the team is still new; it has yet to be fully bedded down.

As such, it’s suggested Aston Martin’s performance is better measured at the end of the season than the start, once some of that process has taken place.

The suggestion therefore is that the team predicts it will be somewhat competitive, but likely in the midst of the midfield.

It’s a view seemingly supported by Krack, who suggested optimisation and execution will remain key performance differentiators in the coming year – despite predicts that the gap between teams will open up.

“It is important that in circuits where you are maybe a bit a bit less performing, that you still get the maximum out of it,” Krack noted.

“And because the gaps are so small, and we must not forget, when we say a bit worse or a bit better, it is a lot of positions; it’s not a lot of lap time.

“If you are in the middle of the midfield, or at the back of the midfield or the front of the midfield, it changes completely your race or your weekend, and this is something you need to be aware of.

“You do not take big steps in terms of ranking, but the small steps in pace that you do have a large effect on the ranking, because the field spread is so big.

“To come back to the question, I think we have a reasonable understanding of where we’re going to be better and where we’re going to be, but I will not share it with you.”

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