Has Adrian Newey missed a trick on the all-new F1 2026 car designs?

The design guru, the legend, the man who can see air, and yet Bernie Collins is a bit perplexed about Adrian Newey missing the small holes on the rear diffusers of Mercedes and Ferrari that are, reportedly, designed to boost diffuser performance and overall downforce.

However, the former Aston Martin strategist believes it is a trick that Newey won’t let slide by for long.

Has Adrian Newey missed a trick?

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Last week at the Circuit de Catalunya, the teams had their first up-close look at their rivals’ all-new F1 cars as the overbody air machinery with its active aerodynamics took to the track.

The teams had three days to run during the five-day test with the hotly anticipated Adrian Newey Aston Martin AMR26 the very last car to break covers as it joined the action late on Thursday.

Pundits and rivals were quick to note the differences between the Newey-designed creation and the rest of the field.

Running a double-pushrod suspension with 2005 McLaren-esque horns, PlanetF1.com technical editor Matt Somerfield noted areas such as the nose, sidepods and engine cover were different to the rest of the grid.

He labelled the car a “masterclass”.

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However, Somerfield declared, “the level of detail present on the AMR26 does suggest that what we’re looking at is closer to the package it will run in Albert Park than some of its rivals.”

But one thing Aston Martin’s AMR26 did not feature a hole in the diffuser (often termed a mouse hole) like those on the Mercedes W17 and Ferrari’s SF-26.

The intent behind the hole is to enhance airflow and improve downforce by allowing some airflow from the external surfaces to switch to the diffuser’s inner wall, improving diffuser flow and downforce.

Collins was surprised not to see such a hole, or something like it, on the Aston Martin AMR26.

“Those designers will be spending time at the factory, as we are, going through all of the images that they can acquire from all of the other cars, trying to figure out what’s going on,” she told Sky’s F1 Show.

“So even if he’s not got it on that car, they will definitely be looking over it to see if it could bring something additional.

“But I can’t imagine that Adrian would have missed it.”

Her fellow pundit Craig Slater revealed rival teams were already eyeing up the Aston Martin after its two days on track, the car notably catching Mercedes’ attentions.

“Someone from Mercedes, an engineer, described it to me as adventurous as a car, which I thought was a lovely word, as though it’s an epic story in itself.

“It is multi-layered, multi-chaptered and has a kind of narrative of its own, which I think is a lovely word to use.”

For now, though, Aston Martin is just focusing on itself with the team still adjusting to lift under Newey’s leadership.

After joining Aston Martin last year as managing technical partner, Newey was announced as team boss for 2026.

“A couple of days ago someone at the factory said to me that it’s been a culture shock working with Newey, the demands and the different way of doing things,” said Slater.

“But they are adjusting, he’ll make them adjust and it’s a long season isn’t it. It’s a rules set that will extend so they might be one of the teams that improves.”

The AMR26 will be back on track in Bahrain on 11 February for the start of the first official pre-season test, a three-day outing before a second test in Bahrain and then it is on to Melbourne for the start of the new season.

The cars will turn their first laps in anger in FP1 on Friday 6 March.

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