2026 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team

[GoranF1]

Seems AMR learned of Hondas problem in Nov 25 when they visited Hondas HQ to discuss rumours that the Japanese company would not meet its original power target.

Right around the time Cowell went over to work with Honda and Newey became TP. Wonder why ...

Honda needs to give Cowell open hands....that is thw key for 2027 success.
This year is gonna be difficult to watch.
Feel sorry for Alonso he might quit.

[jacme22]

Despite meeting the 107% rule today, the FIA needs to make a decision. This car looks unsafe on track.

[collindsilva]

Seems AMR learned of Hondas problem in Nov 25 when they visited Hondas HQ to discuss rumours that the Japanese company would not meet its original power target.

Right around the time Cowell went over to work with Honda and Newey became TP. Wonder why ...

Honda needs to give Cowell open hands....that is thw key for 2027 success.
This year is gonna be difficult to watch.
Feel sorry for Alonso he might quit.

Seems Honda was working with 30% of its original team, AMR found this in last Nov 25.
Don't know what Honda was thinking, seems big time goof up..
We need to hear from Honda what's their response.

[AR3-GP]

Seems Honda was working with 30% of its original team, AMR found this in last Nov 25.
Don't know what Honda was thinking, seems big time goof up..
We need to hear from Honda what's their response.

Would AMR have stayed with Mercedes if they knew this 2 years ago?

[Otromundo]

This is going to be like climbing Everest carrying an anvil on my back with my eyes closed. But, well, I'd prepared for it, although I didn't think the situation would be this complicated.

It couldn't have started worse, but it has one advantage: any improvement will make me happy.

Laughing so I don't cry. This Fernando thing... it's unbelievable.

[collindsilva]

This is going to be like climbing Everest carrying an anvil on my back with my eyes closed. But, well, I'd prepared for it, although I didn't think the situation would be this complicated.

It couldn't have started worse, but it has one advantage: any improvement will make me happy.

Laughing so I don't cry. This Fernando thing... it's unbelievable.

Being Positive, however, arriving to first race with no spare parts, they have only 1 team to supply i.e. 2 cars, how come they are short on battery..

[AR3-GP]

This is going to be like climbing Everest carrying an anvil on my back with my eyes closed. But, well, I'd prepared for it, although I didn't think the situation would be this complicated.

It couldn't have started worse, but it has one advantage: any improvement will make me happy.

Laughing so I don't cry. This Fernando thing... it's unbelievable.

Being Positive, however, arriving to first race with no spare parts, they have only 1 team to supply i.e. 2 cars, how come they are short on battery..

Newey said that they had 4 batteries at the track, but that 2 of them had BMS communication failure. So they only have 2 operational batteries.

[CHT]

Seems AMR learned of Hondas problem in Nov 25 when they visited Hondas HQ to discuss rumours that the Japanese company would not meet its original power target.

Right around the time Cowell went over to work with Honda and Newey became TP. Wonder why ...

Honda needs to give Cowell open hands....that is thw key for 2027 success.
This year is gonna be difficult to watch.
Feel sorry for Alonso he might quit.

I am guessing the AMR will be sold this year and Christian Horner may acquire the time for a song.

[Alo_Fan]

Personally, if I was Lawrence Stroll I'd try and source an Audi PU, rather than risk a 3-5 year recovery with Honda, when the regs might change in 3 years if they prove to be a disaster for racing/qualifying this season. Also, Honda have to rebuild their PU for next season and by the time they do that, the other manufacturers will be evolving the first design and surely find extra performance.

[SchuMassa]

Alonso should retire right after the Spanish GP, if not on the spot. This is undeserving.

[AR3-GP]

This is the full transcript of Newey talking about the history of Honda since 2021:

“I think, okay, the first question, a bit of history is important there,” explained the Aston Martin team principal.

“Honda pulled out at the end of 2021. They then re-entered the sport, kind of, at the end of 2022, so over roughly a year, a year and a bit, out of competition.

“When they reformed, a lot of the original group had, it now transpires, disbanded and went to work on solar panels or whatever – and so a lot of the group that reformed are actually fresh to Formula 1.”

These comments provide an altogether new insight into the mismanagement and allocation of resources at Honda. It was already common knowledge that Honda were forced to rebuild their engine department after 2021.

However, the assumption was that Honda retained many of the engineers who powered Red Bull to successive world titles. Aston Martin themselves seem to have been under this impression.

This evidently was not the case, as Newey continued to explain:

“They didn’t bring the experience that they had had previously. Plus, when they came back in 2023, that was the first year of the budget cap introduction for engines.

“So all their rivals had been developing away through ’21, ’22 with continuity, their existing team, and free of budget cap.

“They [Honda] re-entered with… I’m guessing only 30% of their original team, and now in a budget cap era. So they started very much on the back foot and unfortunately, they’ve struggled to catch back up.”

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsport ... ar-panels/

(1) Best engineers went to go work on solar panels (or retired) after 2021
(2) Honda got caught in the budget cap which started in 2023 while other manufacturers had unlimited spending in 2021 and 2022
(3) Current team is mostly new to Formula 1.

[Aesop]

How was Aston Martin not aware of this? Surely Honda is to blame for the engine, but it seems to me that AM was blinded by the promise of being a 'worksteam' in stead of properly investigate what Honda would actually bring to the table.

[chrisc90]

Absolutely MASSIVE oversight by AMR to go with a team that announced they were quitting F1 in 2021.
It’s expected all their top guys will move to different jobs, teams or ventures meaning you have a monumental shift in technological experience.

[euv2]

This is the full transcript of Newey talking about the history of Honda since 2021:

“I think, okay, the first question, a bit of history is important there,” explained the Aston Martin team principal.

“Honda pulled out at the end of 2021. They then re-entered the sport, kind of, at the end of 2022, so over roughly a year, a year and a bit, out of competition.

“When they reformed, a lot of the original group had, it now transpires, disbanded and went to work on solar panels or whatever – and so a lot of the group that reformed are actually fresh to Formula 1.”

These comments provide an altogether new insight into the mismanagement and allocation of resources at Honda. It was already common knowledge that Honda were forced to rebuild their engine department after 2021.

However, the assumption was that Honda retained many of the engineers who powered Red Bull to successive world titles. Aston Martin themselves seem to have been under this impression.

This evidently was not the case, as Newey continued to explain:

“They didn’t bring the experience that they had had previously. Plus, when they came back in 2023, that was the first year of the budget cap introduction for engines.

“So all their rivals had been developing away through ’21, ’22 with continuity, their existing team, and free of budget cap.

“They [Honda] re-entered with… I’m guessing only 30% of their original team, and now in a budget cap era. So they started very much on the back foot and unfortunately, they’ve struggled to catch back up.”

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsport ... ar-panels/

(1) Best engineers went to go work on solar panels (or retired) after 2021
(2) Honda got caught in the budget cap which started in 2023 while other manufacturers had unlimited spending in 2021 and 2022
(3) Current team is mostly new to Formula 1.

I mean all these points just make me question AMR's decision making then. Why go with Honda despite all this knowledge? Aston Martins leadership who chose Honda are just as much to blame for this mess as Honda.

The hiring and firing in years prior to this has led the team to not have a proper leader, with accountability.

[makecry]

I wonder if this qualifies for breach of contract by Honda.