2026 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team

[Leon Kennedy]

Baffling how they only became aware of it in November of last year. Communication between both parties must be terrible, this is a multi year project and should've been noticed much sooner.

True, Aston Martin should have done more visits on the progress. It was not, however, Aston Martin's job to babysit Honda and ensure that Honda put a large enough staff with experience on the project.

I find it ironic that Honda went through a rigorous interview process to find the most dedicated F1 team to supply engines to for 2026 only not to dedicate the same amount of resources to the project from their side.

If you want to protect your teams interests and prevent these scenarios, you do. It's called management.

Let's face it, Lawrence didn't know what he was doing. Honda probably wouldn't have found a partner had AMR not come around. In spite of all the nice facilities, AMR have largely been a bottom feeder. They're building. I think Lawrence giving up a share of the team to bring Newey aboard, is Lawrence admitting that he is out of his depth in the engineering world. He's thrown money at big names and that has only resulted in him throwing money away. So from that point of view this was a failure from AMR side as well. They should have kept closer tabs on them.

They were already in discussions with several teams and had almost reached an agreement with McLaren. But in that month of 2023, Aston Martin was ahead and Honda chose them.

Regarding the simulator, it has nothing to do with it. Newey said two years because he wanted to motivate the team. Already at the end of 2025, Aston Martin was finding the window before anyone else on Fridays.


With a better engine, Aston Martin would be in the running. But unfortunately, that's how it went, and let's hope for the best. Honda isn't the same as it was in 2015, but they need to wake up.

[Badger]

Stefano Domenicali: "I don't want to lie, I'm surprised by the situation at Aston Martin".

"They shouldn't point fingers at each other!!!!. This is a team sport and the only way to react and progress is by working together".

How bad must it be behind the scenes for the CEO of F1 to try and broker peace between a works team and its PU manufacturer? That quote is hilarious, and telling.

[Leon Kennedy]

https://f1ingenerale.com/f1/f1-clamoros ... australia/

Separation from Honda is being considered

[avantman]

I’m gutted there was no one brave enough in the room to ask Newey if part of those issues could come as a consequence of very late and drastic changes Honda had to make at Newey’s command upon arrival, as Satoshi Tsunoda revealed. I mean I understand none of the Brits would ask a question like that ever, but others….F1 journalism is really dead.

[avantman]

https://f1ingenerale.com/f1/f1-clamoros ... australia/

Separation from Honda is being considered

Oh great news, cannot wait looking at Aston winning race after race powered by Audi, that does everything Newey asks them of.

[diffuser]

the-race is calling out AMR for not knowing what Honda was doing until November
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/adri ... confusing/

Andy Cowell or Lawrence Stroll should have made visits to the factory since signing with Honda. For whatever reason they did not, is baffling and unprofessional. I do not blame Newey as he had his hands tied trying to play catch-up with the car.

Guys, what's your timeline? First Bell, now Cowell who joined in 2024. What's their fault?

Cowell was CEO, so he bares some responsible in that he was the CEO. He also joined just before the summer break of 2024. So last year was his first year. Bell Started March 2024 and was a working on the 2026 chassis Project but I have no idea if he had anything to do with the PU. He had his hands full with the chassis.


Since this all happened last November and we've heard of some firings, they might have been cause Newey thought someone was at fault. He's obviously changed the structure, by moved Cowell there and making him head of it to patch that hole.

[gnocchiF1]

I’m gutted there was no one brave enough in the room to ask Newey if part of those issues could come as a consequence of very late and drastic changes Honda had to make at Newey’s command upon arrival, as Satoshi Tsunoda revealed. I mean I understand none of the Brits would ask that but others….F1 journalism is really dead.

Again, it's Honda responsibility to explain to their partner what they can and what they cannot do in the given timeframe. If Newey come and ask for a 700hp engine with the turbo at the end of the exhaust pipe, you do not just accept and then reveal that you failed 2 month before the season start. Honda know their level of expertise, their equipment, how their team are setup. Newey and Aston Martin do not. They can only rely on Honda communication.

[gnocchiF1]

https://f1ingenerale.com/f1/f1-clamoros ... australia/

Separation from Honda is being considered

It seem very unlikely to me, I don't think the FIA would accept to punish Honda like that. However, I hope it happens, I do not want to endure 3 years of total humiliation like the 2015-2017 McLaren Honda years.

[gshevlin]

The last time I can remember a power unit supplier walking away during a a season was in 1987, when Alfa Romeo withdrew their 4 cylinder Turbo engine after testing with Ligier was disastrous and Rene Arnoux said exactly what he thought of the PU (no power, internal failures every few laps). That resulted in a cobbleware solution with Ligier fitting Heini Mader ex-BMW turbo engines for 1987.

[diffuser]

https://f1ingenerale.com/f1/f1-clamoros ... australia/

Separation from Honda is being considered

not surprised. If for nothing else but to ratchet up the pressure on Honda.

[toyotaworn]

Cowell was CEO, so he bares some responsible in that he was the CEO. He also joined just before the summer break of 2024. So last year was his first year. Bell Started March 2024 and was a working on the 2026 chassis Project but I have no idea if he had anything to do with the PU. He had his hands full with the chassis.

Luca Furbatto, AMF1 Engineering Director was the person responsible for the PU Programme, from what I remember he used to travel frequently to Japan. Apparently he did a wonderful job.

[diffuser]

I’m gutted there was no one brave enough in the room to ask Newey if part of those issues could come as a consequence of very late and drastic changes Honda had to make at Newey’s command upon arrival, as Satoshi Tsunoda revealed. I mean I understand none of the Brits would ask a question like that ever, but others….F1 journalism is really dead.

It's Honda's JOB to have the technical people to make those changes easily. If they don't then get out of F1, they don't belong there.

[gearboxtrouble]

A perfect storm of incompetence on both sides here. On Honda's side they have somehow once again seemingly repeated all the same mistakes they made in 2015. The engine is late, hasn't been tested enough and they clearly underestimated the challenge by throwing a bunch of inexperienced engineers at this. To top it off it seems like they didn't push back enough on Newey's packaging demands which have probably made matters worse. On Aston's side this is even worse imho. Newey's stubborn unwillingness to go with a compromise between his vision and what was realistic for the start of this season is at the root of this. If they'd manufactured a less developed "A spec" car and gearbox by December like the other teams and run it together with the Honda engine statically and later in a filming day before Barcelona they'd be a couple of months ahead of where they are right now. They should have been far better aligned with Honda in Japan to tailor the car's development to the limitations the engine program was facing. Newey might be an engineering god and aero genius but it's very clear he's far out of his depth as a Team Principal.

[avantman]

I’m gutted there was no one brave enough in the room to ask Newey if part of those issues could come as a consequence of very late and drastic changes Honda had to make at Newey’s command upon arrival, as Satoshi Tsunoda revealed. I mean I understand none of the Brits would ask that but others….F1 journalism is really dead.

Again, it's Honda responsibility to explain to their partner what they can and what they cannot do in the given timeframe. If Newey come and ask for a 700hp engine with the turbo at the end of the exhaust pipe, you do not just accept and then reveal that you failed 2 month before the season start. Honda know their level of expertise, their equipment, how their team are setup. Newey and Aston Martin do not. They can only rely on Honda communication.

There weren’t any Honda representatives in the today’s press conference. We’ve already heard from Honda’s boss anyway, quotes from him are real. Newey was the star of the show getting most of the questions today. Just curious to see his reaction and hear his response on this question. Nobody even asked him to make any comment on if there’s any truth to that story at all. Who knows what if Newey said all of that was simply not true. Very bright example of poor journalism in my opinion.

[max_speed]

https://f1ingenerale.com/f1/f1-clamoros ... australia/

Separation from Honda is being considered

I already said this 2 weeks back. F1 is super competitive. Honda is 3rd class and should be fired and banned from F1. Their incompetence can wipe out aston from F1. Staying at back will dilute brand and valuations and all big investments they made.rest of manufacturers are not sitting idle. In race of horses no one bets on donkey to win a race. Hope can not be strategy. Its fine bad decision got made , leadership lies in correcting it asap.