Aston Martin set ‘tough targets’ for first Adrian Newey-designed Honda car ahead of F1 2026

Aston Martin is under no illusion about the challenge that lies ahead in F1 2026, despite the input of design legend Adrian Newey, the sport’s most successful designer with 26 titles.

This season, Formula 1 welcomes an all-new era, new cars and new engines on the grid, which opens the door for a changing of the guard.

Aston Martin’s goal: We want to win

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As in 2009 when Brawn GP came to the fore with its double-diffuser, or in 2014 when Mercedes’ power unit set itself apart from the chasing pack, a surprise could be on the cards this season.

The new cars will feature active aerodynamics, while the engines will run on sustainable fuel with a 50/50 split between electric and combustion power.

Honda and Aston Martin launched their “works” partnership in an event in Tokyo on Tuesday, with all eyes on one prize – achieving “success in Formula 1” as Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll said.

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Easier said than done.

Although this year’s AMR26 has been designed by design legend Newey in a works partnership with Honda, allowing for greater integration between the chassis and the engine, Cowell is under no illusion that it means instant success.

However, the chief strategy officer admits having Honda and Newey on board, has everyone at Aston “revealing in” the moment.

“There’s a huge amount of development testing going on, both at Silverstone, so wind tunnel testing prove our components in readiness for going to Bahrain, Barcelona and then Bahrain,” he said.

“And we’ve set tough targets.

“We’re really, really excited with this works partnership. This is a car that’s been created exclusively between Honda and Aston Martin, and we’ve set ourselves tough targets.

“We want to win.

“But we understand that Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, and it’s difficult, it’s challenging, and you focus on your issues.

“It’s very rare that engineering organisations celebrate successes in the factory. So we are working hard on all the issues that we need to resolve.

“And we will go to Barcelona, and we will learn about the car on the track, and we will go to Bahrain twice, and we will learn about the car on the track and then we’ll end up in Melbourne at the first race.

“It’s always a challenging time for a group of engineers, pulling an advanced technology machine together, getting it to perform well, getting it to be reliable, getting it to the point where a driver can perform right on the very edge of performance.

“But we’re working well together. We’re working hard. We’re working well together, and we’ve got that same sense of determination. It is thoroughly enjoyable working with the Honda engineers, and it’s really exciting that the buzz in the Silverstone campus, that’s come together over the last year.

“Pulling together an Adrian Newey-designed Aston Martin-Honda car, is something that everybody is really reveling in and looking forward to seeing it on the track in not many days time.

“So a really exciting time for us.”

Newey, who joined Aston Martin after almost two decades and eighth World titles with Red Bull, will take up the reins as team principal this season.

Aston Martin’s 2026 car, the AMR26, will hit the track at the Circuit de Catalunya in a behind-closed-doors test that begins on 26 January and runs for five teams, although the teams are only permitted three days of on-track running.

The team will officially unveil the car on 9 February, just days before the second of the three pre-season tests in Bahrain that runs from 11 to 13 February, with a second Bahrain outing from 18 to 20 February.

The F1 2026 season will begin with the Australian Grand Prix on March 8.

Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe added: “The regulations in 2026 are very challenging as well. It’s difficult. It’s challenging. That’s why we would like to take on it.

“Currently, we are also working hard on the test, on the reliability testing, and all working on the bench testing. And we want to really bring on to in vehicle testing.

“We are running on a very short timeline, but we want to make sure that we are fully prepared for it.

“From this year onward, we are working with a new partnership with Aston Martin Aramco with new fuel, new lubricant so in all of these situations, we want to build up what we have, bit by bit, learn as much as we can and be prepared for it.”

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