2026 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team

[collindsilva]

If they still suffering with top speeds this week. Their problems way to big. Im feeling it. I try to think they didnt expect those problem and now they will fix them for this week. They NEED improve a considerable margin to say "ok their problema isnt to big". If what we see this week look like last week. They are in trouble.

Getting conflicting reports, some mentioning 6 months for new Gearbox..

[FNTC]

Not sure how much they can fix in 4.5 days, if its major gearbox issues. But they might be able to fix some of the issues before Melbourne.

[Rikrikrik]

Not sure how much they can fix in 4.5 days, if its major gearbox issues. But they might be able to fix some of the issues before Melbourne.

Exately how i said, if they still suffering and what we will see look like the repeart of last week. They are so much problems and obviously the season will be a terrible again,maybe even more than 2025.

[Bill]

The gearbox and car pu are both new so they don't don't have past experience to glen from like other teams but ones they fix the gearbox the can unleash the pu ,i don't believe the engine is bad as it is the same concept that won championships. The media would report everything honda but would not touch audi who are having their own problems like honda in 2015.

Comparing Audi to Honda in 2015 is a bit of a self-own considering Audi looks much better than Honda in 2026.

Audi have nothing to be proud off .the sport was dumb down to accommodate them .no mguh .variable trumpet,powerful engine.they ruined f1. the engines are generators to charge batteries

[GoranF1]

Can they redesign gearbox and ICE after homologation date on reliability basis?

[Leon Kennedy]

I don't think the new regulations will last long. Unless a miracle happens and the races become exciting, which I doubt.

I think a return to engines powered by biofuels would be the right thing to do.

E-fuels are already a step forward (Ferrari uses biofuel), but we cannot go back to the era with aspirated engines, since F1 is a showcase of reality and today's cars are going towards a hybrid-electric change and then becoming fully electric, so much so that Honda itself declared that without the electric part it would not return to F1.

Anyway guys I read an article where it is explained that the Honda factory in Milton Keynes is actually the factory where they were before and where RB powertrains was, until 2024 when Honda he bought the factory back again and therefore did not build a new one from 0.

https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-ho ... /10700318/

From the text to cut a long story short: The factory building itself is the same one that was originally created in 2019 as HRD UK. Following Honda's temporary withdrawal from F1 in 2021, The facility was used by Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT), the power unit division of Red Bull, with whom Honda has a current technical partnership. However, Honda has now reacquired the facility.

I don't know if this has already been said, but can anyone else confirm? Because this completely changes the situation.

I read somewhere else too... Why wouldn't you believe motorsport? It's a Honda Racing Corporation announcement of its new headquarters in Milton Keynes, UK. Which was where the old was that RBR had been using to maintain the Honda PU. RBR built their own Powertrain building, so Honda took it back.

By taking over the old headquarters, they maintain the previous know-how, when many said they had given everything to Red Bull. This is important.

[Leon Kennedy]

I don't think the new regulations will last long. Unless a miracle happens and the races become exciting, which I doubt.

I think a return to engines powered by biofuels would be the right thing to do.

E-fuels are already a step forward (Ferrari uses biofuel), but we cannot go back to the era with aspirated engines, since F1 is a showcase of reality and today's cars are going towards a hybrid-electric change and then becoming fully electric, so much so that Honda itself declared that without the electric part it would not return to F1.

we cant go to a series in which the top drivers dont matter anymore. hondas always had one foot in and one foot out of the sport, thats part of the reason things are as they are atm.

they wont do away with batteries all together, but they wont be going to full electric anytime soon either. i see a v8 turbo on efuels sooner rather than later. especially if these new power units make it into a push to pass only series.the cars batteries are dead half way down the straights right now. they are going to spend more time taking care of their battery than they do with tires, until the engineers tell them exactly how to drive each lap to finish the race quickest.

imagine a race where lance stroll (ikr!!) passes 5 cars on the opening 3 turns, only to be passed by 10 on the first long straight because he couldnt charge the batteries while making the passes. its more likely they wont attempt it because they know the outcome. could just end up being a huge snore-fest.

the first couple of races should be cool to watch regardless but i could see it becoming old really fast. i hope im wrong

I agree with you. What I was saying is that I don't think they'll ever go back to combustion-only engines. I also predict, and I don't think it's going to be too late, a switch to solid-state batteries, because consider that it will also help in races since they are more efficient batteries and discharge less.

[Leon Kennedy]

Not sure how much they can fix in 4.5 days, if its major gearbox issues. But they might be able to fix some of the issues before Melbourne.

Exately how i said, if they still suffering and what we will see look like the repeart of last week. They are so much problems and obviously the season will be a terrible again,maybe even more than 2025.

It all depends on this week's testing, because after that there's Melbourne, so I expect at least some race/qualifying simulations. They'll start pushing, hopefully without serious problems and with good performance.

[diffuser]

Can they redesign gearbox and ICE after homologation date on reliability basis?

You don't even know the what the gearbox problem is and you want to redesign it ? These are probably just normal NEW gearbox issues, they'll figure it out. Remember everyone else is probably running last years gearbox or something like 90% the same as last year.

The PU has exceptions for reliability and Under the 2026 PU regulations:

The FIA will continuously measure PU performance (e.g., power output) across the season.

After designated points (typically after Races 6, 12 and 18 of the championship), the FIA may grant ADUO allowances to manufacturers whose power units are significantly below the best performing units. These allowances may include:
• Additional homologation opportunities (i.e., permission to introduce upgrades that normally would be restricted),
• Extra development hours on test benches (effectively giving more dyno time to rework PU components),
• Limited cost cap relief tied specifically to PU development.

Specifically, the threshold criteria discussed in the rules and technical explanations indicate that if a PU manufacturer’s ICE performance deficit is at least 2 % or more below the best engine, they may be eligible for extra development allowances — potentially two additional homologation upgrades in the affected and following seasons if the deficit falls into defined bands (e.g., 2-4 % or greater).

[diffuser]

E-fuels are already a step forward (Ferrari uses biofuel), but we cannot go back to the era with aspirated engines, since F1 is a showcase of reality and today's cars are going towards a hybrid-electric change and then becoming fully electric, so much so that Honda itself declared that without the electric part it would not return to F1.

we cant go to a series in which the top drivers dont matter anymore. hondas always had one foot in and one foot out of the sport, thats part of the reason things are as they are atm.

they wont do away with batteries all together, but they wont be going to full electric anytime soon either. i see a v8 turbo on efuels sooner rather than later. especially if these new power units make it into a push to pass only series.the cars batteries are dead half way down the straights right now. they are going to spend more time taking care of their battery than they do with tires, until the engineers tell them exactly how to drive each lap to finish the race quickest.

imagine a race where lance stroll (ikr!!) passes 5 cars on the opening 3 turns, only to be passed by 10 on the first long straight because he couldnt charge the batteries while making the passes. its more likely they wont attempt it because they know the outcome. could just end up being a huge snore-fest.

the first couple of races should be cool to watch regardless but i could see it becoming old really fast. i hope im wrong

I agree with you. What I was saying is that I don't think they'll ever go back to combustion-only engines. I also predict, and I don't think it's going to be too late, a switch to solid-state batteries, because consider that it will also help in races since they are more efficient batteries and discharge less.

In the 2026 F1 technical regulations there is no explicit ban on a specific battery chemistry like sodium-ion — the rules do not literally say “only lithium-ion cells.”

What you're really trying to say is that there needs to be a change in the allowed capacity. If the battery isn't allowed to exceed 4MJ in capacity or weigh less than 20kg, then the energy density is effectively fixed in the regulations. Therefore, there is little point in investing heavily in further battery development. Whatever battery chemistry they were using last year was clearly working and lasted the season.

[diffuser]

Not sure how much they can fix in 4.5 days, if its major gearbox issues. But they might be able to fix some of the issues before Melbourne.

Exately how i said, if they still suffering and what we will see look like the repeart of last week. They are so much problems and obviously the season will be a terrible again,maybe even more than 2025.

It all depends on this week's testing, because after that there's Melbourne, so I expect at least some race/qualifying simulations. They'll start pushing, hopefully without serious problems and with good performance.

Yes I agree. Also it's not a question of "fixing" as much as it is just "the process". You need to start to be wake, then you start to sit up, then you start to crawl, then you start to walk and then finally you begin to run. There is alot of learning and programming that has to go on between those steps. That is were they are, behind everyone. I presume they'll get better in the next test and they'll be better in Australia but will they have caught up?

[diffuser]

E-fuels are already a step forward (Ferrari uses biofuel), but we cannot go back to the era with aspirated engines, since F1 is a showcase of reality and today's cars are going towards a hybrid-electric change and then becoming fully electric, so much so that Honda itself declared that without the electric part it would not return to F1.

Anyway guys I read an article where it is explained that the Honda factory in Milton Keynes is actually the factory where they were before and where RB powertrains was, until 2024 when Honda he bought the factory back again and therefore did not build a new one from 0.

https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-ho ... /10700318/

From the text to cut a long story short: The factory building itself is the same one that was originally created in 2019 as HRD UK. Following Honda's temporary withdrawal from F1 in 2021, The facility was used by Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT), the power unit division of Red Bull, with whom Honda has a current technical partnership. However, Honda has now reacquired the facility.

I don't know if this has already been said, but can anyone else confirm? Because this completely changes the situation.

I read somewhere else too... Why wouldn't you believe motorsport? It's a Honda Racing Corporation announcement of its new headquarters in Milton Keynes, UK. Which was where the old was that RBR had been using to maintain the Honda PU. RBR built their own Powertrain building, so Honda took it back.

By taking over the old headquarters, they maintain the previous know-how, when many said they had given everything to Red Bull. This is important.

That building's personnel always had limited brain power. All the Honda R&D, big brains, was and is in Japan. That's also where the manufacturing has always been. Between races, PU are taken apart, examined and rebuilt with allowed parts replaced. That what goes on there. I also think it's where the manage the races from, stuff like what the PU's and stuff.

Also Honda has never had any real interest in hiring non Honda employees. They have primary used F1 as a training ground and/or reward for their personnel.

[diffuser]

If we look at energy density of 2026 F1 batteries ...take the numbers at face value:
Energy = 4 MJ
Mass = 20 kg

-Convert MJ to kWh
1 kWh = 3.6 MJ
4 MJ÷3.6=1.11 kWh

-Calculate gravimetric energy density
1.11 kWh÷20 kg =0.0555 kWh/kg
or
55.5 Wh/kg

This is extremely low compared to modern lithium-ion cells, which are typically:
200–300 Wh/kg (cell level)

They could easily up the battery game to 12MJ for the same weight.

[FittingMechanics]

Probably the fact that it needs to discharge and charge 2 times per lap ups the weight but I think this is easiest way to make quali laps better, just increase the charge to 6 or 8 MJ.

[FNTC]

Understandable tire choice from Aston. Ignore the harder compounds and get some decent testing on the same tire, considering the circumstances. 2 sets of each of the softer ones in case they need some glory runs, and data.