2026 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team

[TyreSlip]

I know we have 140+ pages of waffle before RACE ONE but let me pose a few questions:

1) What on earth was Aston Martin doing between January 1 and March 1 2025? It seems the AMR26 and, to some extent, the PU packaging only really came into focus once Newey showed up. And yet the AMR25 was fairly undeveloped and uncompetitive. Was there an entirely scrapped AMR26 concept that we’ve never seen?

2) If the vibrations to the AMR26 monocoque are so severe, is a replacement monocoque not more feasible than redesigning the entire PU architecture, which would set them back even further? Especially since PU spec is frozen? Obviously not ideal but surely the lesser of two evils? Is it possible the explanation is so “simple” that the engine mounts are incorrectly located due to lateness/revisions/miscommunication?

3) IF (and that’s asking a lot) the chassis is “only” 1s off the top teams, is that not still a massive gulf? And what have we seen from this team in the last 8 years to suggest that they can effectively develop mid-season?

Sorry to pour gasoline onto the already healthy fire…

1) The team was only working on the basics of the car design. They did not make any important decisions that would conflict or limit Newey's ability to design the car when he arrived. In essence, they were 3 months behind.

2) Your guess is as good as mine.

3) The car is heavily overweight, and it may weigh more with all the fixes they are doing to mitigate vibrations. No setup work has been done on the car so who knows how the chassis compares to the top teams at this stage.

[AR3-GP]

2) If the vibrations to the AMR26 monocoque are so severe, is a replacement monocoque not more feasible than redesigning the entire PU architecture, which would set them back even further? Especially since PU spec is frozen? Obviously not ideal but surely the lesser of two evils? Is it possible the explanation is so “simple” that the engine mounts are incorrectly located due to lateness/revisions/miscommunication?

This is a cross-disclipinary comparison, but I've heard of issues arising with designing a chassis that is "too stiff" in the MotoGP. Ducati struggled with this and it caused tire chatter (tire stick-slip resonances). So only by reducing the stiffness of the chassis did they manage to eliminate this tire chatter phenomena.

That's also a reason why airplane monocoque is held together by rivets, rather than welded together. The rivets allow for expansion and flexibility during turbulence, where a welded aluminum skin would simply crack and fail under load.

There are many examples in engineering where creating a structure which is "too stiff" causes more problems than the one the designers believed they were solving by making the structure stiff. I believe Honda when they say the issue is more complicated than just the PU. It could be that honda has not done anything wrong with the PU (or atleast it's no different to any other manufacturer) and that the chassis is in fact too stiff. However I can sense in the messaging that Newey isn't having any of that. He wants his chassis the way it is and Honda will be left to figure out how changing the PU will stop the vibrations, if they even can. Perhaps after a year where nothing changes, Newey will backdown on chassis design.

Newey's approach which is simply to say "This is your problem, Koji" is not something that will be taken positively at Honda.

[gearboxtrouble]

What a crazy situation! Newey comes across as pointing fingers and resistant to considering that something in the PU mounting and packaging his team designed is a contributor to this issue. I can't see how a PU that ran normally on a test bench is able to shake a car to bits once integrated to the chassis without some major issues with the mounts, PU location, transmission mounting or other issue thats not within Honda's power to address. This "fix" they've brought isn't really a fix but more a hack that saves the battery from being shaken to bits but doesn't address the resonance issues themselves. I fear that's going to take a major chassis redesign to address and Newey hasn't accepted that yet.

[V10FURY]

Absolute catastrophe! No wonder they didn’t even want to attend this race. This season is a write off and I feel gutted for Alonso once again having to be saddled with a turd. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t last the full season now. Flying around the world to be dead last and only able to run the car for 15 laps or so….what a nightmare. Aston needs those two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia cancelled immediately to try and figure out this mess.

[zoroastar]

I know we have 140+ pages of waffle before RACE ONE but let me pose a few questions:

1) What on earth was Aston Martin doing between January 1 and March 1 2025? It seems the AMR26 and, to some extent, the PU packaging only really came into focus once Newey showed up. And yet the AMR25 was fairly undeveloped and uncompetitive. Was there an entirely scrapped AMR26 concept that we’ve never seen?

2) If the vibrations to the AMR26 monocoque are so severe, is a replacement monocoque not more feasible than redesigning the entire PU architecture, which would set them back even further? Especially since PU spec is frozen? Obviously not ideal but surely the lesser of two evils? Is it possible the explanation is so “simple” that the engine mounts are incorrectly located due to lateness/revisions/miscommunication?

3) IF (and that’s asking a lot) the chassis is “only” 1s off the top teams, is that not still a massive gulf? And what have we seen from this team in the last 8 years to suggest that they can effectively develop mid-season?

Sorry to pour gasoline onto the already healthy fire…

1- they were using their wind tunnel time that they had earned for their place in the constructors championship. maybe they had gotten fairly deep into developing the design for the 26 car too, which would be great if it was a worthy design. but judging from the last 2 aston cars id say theres a high chance that newey either wanted to start over or told them to wait for him to finalize a direction to follow. it wouldnt be doing the team or anyone else any favors to keep working on a design that would be a dead end in development. its better to start late with something good than to work on something bad and waste time and money thatll need to be abandoned a year down the road.

2. carbon fiber doesnt really vibrate very well. you ever tried to make fiberglass ring? its kinda the same. i assume that most people that dont believe its a conspiracy against honda every time something like this happens can imagine that hondas and astons people arent just making some sh%t up to trick everyone, at their own expense

3. new factory, new wind tunnel, adrian newey, cardille. pretty basic

[AR3-GP]

2. carbon fiber doesnt really vibrate very well. you ever tried to make fiberglass ring? its kinda the same. i assume that most people that dont believe its a conspiracy against honda every time something like this happens can imagine that hondas and astons people arent just making some sh%t up to trick everyone, at their own expense

If carbon fiber does not vibrate well, how is this description possible?

“We feel our body. With this frequency of the vibrations that you feel after 20 or 25 minutes a little bit numb on your hands or your feet, or whatever.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernando- ... numb-amr26

[zoroastar]

https://x.com/F1Insightsi/status/2029250825760194990

looks like they have a rotating rear wing like ferraris coming to miami. hopefully all this other drama will be an afterthought by then.

[zoroastar]

2. carbon fiber doesnt really vibrate very well. you ever tried to make fiberglass ring? its kinda the same. i assume that most people that dont believe its a conspiracy against honda every time something like this happens can imagine that hondas and astons people arent just making some sh%t up to trick everyone, at their own expense

If carbon fiber does not vibrate well, how is this description possible?

“We feel our body. With this frequency of the vibrations that you feel after 20 or 25 minutes a little bit numb on your hands or your feet, or whatever.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernando- ... numb-amr26

yeah i was being a little facetious with that.. MY BAD. point is, mechanical part vibrate causing other things to follow suit. perhaps the chassis is "ringing" but given the fact that everyone in the team, including honda are pointing to something in the power unit, thats probably the genesis of it. if they end up changing to a new chassis ill eat my words

[V10FURY]

I know we have 140+ pages of waffle before RACE ONE but let me pose a few questions:

1) What on earth was Aston Martin doing between January 1 and March 1 2025? It seems the AMR26 and, to some extent, the PU packaging only really came into focus once Newey showed up. And yet the AMR25 was fairly undeveloped and uncompetitive. Was there an entirely scrapped AMR26 concept that we’ve never seen?

2) If the vibrations to the AMR26 monocoque are so severe, is a replacement monocoque not more feasible than redesigning the entire PU architecture, which would set them back even further? Especially since PU spec is frozen? Obviously not ideal but surely the lesser of two evils? Is it possible the explanation is so “simple” that the engine mounts are incorrectly located due to lateness/revisions/miscommunication?

3) IF (and that’s asking a lot) the chassis is “only” 1s off the top teams, is that not still a massive gulf? And what have we seen from this team in the last 8 years to suggest that they can effectively develop mid-season?

Sorry to pour gasoline onto the already healthy fire…

1- they were using their wind tunnel time that they had earned for their place in the constructors championship. maybe they had gotten fairly deep into developing the design for the 26 car too, which would be great if it was a worthy design. but judging from the last 2 aston cars id say theres a high chance that newey either wanted to start over or told them to wait for him to finalize a direction to follow. it wouldnt be doing the team or anyone else any favors to keep working on a design that would be a dead end in development. its better to start late with something good than to work on something bad and waste time and money thatll need to be abandoned a year down the road.

2. carbon fiber doesnt really vibrate very well. you ever tried to make fiberglass ring? its kinda the same. i assume that most people that dont believe its a conspiracy against honda every time something like this happens can imagine that hondas and astons people arent just making some sh%t up to trick everyone, at their own expense

3. new factory, new wind tunnel, adrian newey, cardille. pretty basic

I always thought that with Newey not joining until March last year, that he would concentrate fully on a B spec package for mid season, and really hit their stride in 27. How does this team not run a car with the PU / Gearbox etc installed until Barcelona day 4??? Even Cadillac knew that would be a disaster and ran before the test. Williams decided it would be a s**t show and waited until Bahrain to run. With this level of talent, at the highest level of Motorsport, this much money invested and you can’t run the car properly at the first GP of the year. Perhaps this is the reason Andy Cowell decided to leave this team as he saw this train wreck fast approaching.

[zoroastar]

Absolute catastrophe! No wonder they didn’t even want to attend this race. This season is a write off and I feel gutted for Alonso once again having to be saddled with a turd. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t last the full season now. Flying around the world to be dead last and only able to run the car for 15 laps or so….what a nightmare. Aston needs those two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia cancelled immediately to try and figure out this mess.

on a very slight positive note, im glad that they are talking about it to the press. i think it could be positive in the long run to tell people whats going on. if they didnt, rumors are gonna keep going wild.

im kindof thinking alonso will stick around for next year if he sees some progress being made. and if things going on in his life outside of f1 just make it not worth dealing with anymore. i bet it would annoy him a lot if he quits and then aston martin/ honda become competitve. it would be his luck. aston isnt going to have a ton of top drivers beating down their door anytime soon i dont think. he may want to stick around now that hes working with AN, and pad his wallet for another year. hopefully

[zoroastar]

I know we have 140+ pages of waffle before RACE ONE but let me pose a few questions:

1) What on earth was Aston Martin doing between January 1 and March 1 2025? It seems the AMR26 and, to some extent, the PU packaging only really came into focus once Newey showed up. And yet the AMR25 was fairly undeveloped and uncompetitive. Was there an entirely scrapped AMR26 concept that we’ve never seen?

2) If the vibrations to the AMR26 monocoque are so severe, is a replacement monocoque not more feasible than redesigning the entire PU architecture, which would set them back even further? Especially since PU spec is frozen? Obviously not ideal but surely the lesser of two evils? Is it possible the explanation is so “simple” that the engine mounts are incorrectly located due to lateness/revisions/miscommunication?

3) IF (and that’s asking a lot) the chassis is “only” 1s off the top teams, is that not still a massive gulf? And what have we seen from this team in the last 8 years to suggest that they can effectively develop mid-season?

Sorry to pour gasoline onto the already healthy fire…

1- they were using their wind tunnel time that they had earned for their place in the constructors championship. maybe they had gotten fairly deep into developing the design for the 26 car too, which would be great if it was a worthy design. but judging from the last 2 aston cars id say theres a high chance that newey either wanted to start over or told them to wait for him to finalize a direction to follow. it wouldnt be doing the team or anyone else any favors to keep working on a design that would be a dead end in development. its better to start late with something good than to work on something bad and waste time and money thatll need to be abandoned a year down the road.

2. carbon fiber doesnt really vibrate very well. you ever tried to make fiberglass ring? its kinda the same. i assume that most people that dont believe its a conspiracy against honda every time something like this happens can imagine that hondas and astons people arent just making some sh%t up to trick everyone, at their own expense

3. new factory, new wind tunnel, adrian newey, cardille. pretty basic

I always thought that with Newey not joining until March last year, that he would concentrate fully on a B spec package for mid season, and really hit their stride in 27. How does this team not run a car with the PU / Gearbox etc installed until Barcelona day 4??? Even Cadillac knew that would be a disaster and ran before the test. Williams decided it would be a s**t show and waited until Bahrain to run. With this level of talent, at the highest level of Motorsport, this much money invested and you can’t run the car properly at the first GP of the year. Perhaps this is the reason Andy Cowell decided to leave this team as he saw this train wreck fast approaching.

i think andy cowell just made a statement the other day that he didnt know where all those quitting rumors started. who knows whats really going on though. it makes a whole lot of sense to think that when they first started realizing how much trouble honda were in that they would send cowell to help asap. whether or not cowell wanted to spend his time traveling back and forth to japan is another story all together i guess.

[johnnycesup]

AM are not acting like a works team IMO, but like an angry customer calling the manager to make a complaint. I don't see this thing working if that's how it's going to be.

[TyreSlip]

AM are not acting like a works team IMO, but like an angry customer calling the manager to make a complaint. I don't see this thing working if that's how it's going to be.

Where is the anger? Aston Martin and Honda released a joint statement describing the issues and how they are trying to rectify them.

[collindsilva]

AM are not acting like a works team IMO, but like an angry customer calling the manager to make a complaint. I don't see this thing working if that's how it's going to be.

Where is the anger? Aston Martin and Honda released a joint statement describing the issues and how they are trying to rectify them.

It was expected that AMR would have problems during their first Year of new regulations, however the current situation is bad, some people expect instant success.
Both AMR and Honda are working for the fixes and possible solutions, we should expect some progress, let us wait for the Race 1 to finish, this will give us proper indication on the extent of the problems and how much are already solved.

[AR3-GP]

Lance Stroll has been asked to explain what the drivers feel with the Honda engine vibrations:
"It's like being electrocuted in an electric chair," has been the response.