2026 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team

[AR3-GP]

Also considering how things are going I won't trust anything from any Spanish butthurts for now. They just adding fuel tot eh fire for now reason.

What would be better? Listening to your usual made up stories?

I just got more Tea, but I can't say for certainty as plans can change. So Apparently for FP1 Jack Crawford will run the new engine while Lance stroll will run the old one for comparison. The target is for Jak to be able to beat Lance time simply due to having more power and better battery deployment and have it correlate with the simulator and confirm the vibrations have been lowered(unfortunately not eliminated i guess) compared to the old engine. Before turning the power up to what possible for fp2 and then analyze if no reliability or vibration issues crop up. We might have very unrepresentative times for FP2 so don't get excited.

There is no "new engine". ADUO isn't until May. Honda said they haven't solved the vibration problem ahead of Suzuka:

“In China, we made some progress in terms of battery reliability thanks to a reduction in the vibration affecting the systems, but we must find more solutions to establish the cause of the vibrations affecting the drivers,” Honda trackside general manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said.

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1091907/1 ... ery-update

Well, there are people who think I've made it up too for that reason, because it "sells" I wish it were a lie, but for now things don't look good at all.

[Badger]

Well. It seems like everyone was wrong. It's worse than even the worst predictions.

Everyone? Many of us viewed the talks about fixes in Japan or Miami with great skepticism. The Spa timeline seems more reasonable for a proper patch to arrive, but even then it may be too early for a real fix. And the big question is what will they be left with when they fix the vibrations? Because what they are working on now is a critical flaw in the engine, not catching up on performance.

Well, yes. No-one thought they won't even finish 2+ races...

You are talking about two different things, expectations before and after testing. Since testing many of us have pointed out that the ongoing disaster is going to take longer than people think to fix, such is the nature of PU problems.

But already before testing some of us tried to temper expectations. Not out of spite but out of reason.

Relative to the expectations in this poll where they are tied 2nd with McLaren I think Aston will be the biggest flop on the grid.

Yes, i think i remember your prediction. You placed them 9th ahead of cadillac and audi. Bold to say the least, lets see how that turns out.

Worries around AMR and Honda. Looks like The Race has been digging around in this thread looking for narratives.
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/worr ... tin-honda/

Basically hits on most of the things I’ve said in here. Honda started late, they dismantled their previous engine group, they have previous form failing under similar circumstances, the shake-up at the top of the organisation before the end of the season is a bad sign.

Additional points made in the article: more constraints on spending than their previous programme, missed a trick with the compression ratio, rumours that they are behind on the electrical side, wide geographical spread between team, engine, and fuel suppliers, and Aramco have not supplied F1 fuel before.

Some points I agree with, others are overstated. What I will say is they are vastly overrated in this poll.

[ispano6]

[

There have only been two championship winning engines manufacturers in the last decade. Ferrari and Renault could not in 10 years. It took Honda 5 years. Give it time.

Renault was always underfunded and never intended to win. Ferrari got nerfed by the FIA.

It took Honda 6 seasons and 8 years since the announced return to F1 to win. They were still the second best PU manufacturer that season, even if it was by a small margin (as per Japanese sources: https://f1-motorsports-gp.com/honda/hon ... 1h-1014hp/). That championship was won because of Redbull's aero. Had Honda partnered with any other team they would not have won any championships either.

Honda can absolutely repeat the scenario and become competitive with the benchmark set by Mercedes. But not anytime soon. It also doesnt excuse the fact that they have come to the grid with a shambolic PU twice now which is comically noncompetitive.

I'm not including the lost years with McLaren. Honda was allowed to develop their PU with Toro Rosso. AMR should take note. Why do you think the Racing Bulls cars was even a podium contender last year?

The championship was won by Redbull's Hero, Max Verstappen. And he credited the Honda engine and that's why Honda backed him. His feedback was impeccable, and in turn, Honda worked on drivability.

Your usage of the word "shambolic" and twice simply demonstrates a lack of understanding and appreciation for the actual challenge Honda has joined F1 for. So you'll never get it.

[Otromundo]

Wow, I learn a lot from you all, and I'm glad this is the most active F1 team subforum... but sometimes I have to stop paying attention because you guys are like a tornado when you argue amongst yourselves. I don't mind that, because discussion is the way to find the truth. But honestly, sometimes you overwhelm me.

I'm starting to enjoy this season, probably because I prefer solving problems to being bored by victory parades. Also because I'm used to unpleasant surprises with Fernando. All I hope is that things progress gradually and that the end of the season will be very different from the beginning. It's tough, but I still think that perhaps for the first time, Fernando has a great team behind him. So, I guess it's just a matter of waiting.

[Rikrikrik]

Wow, I learn a lot from you all, and I'm glad this is the most active F1 team subforum... but sometimes I have to stop paying attention because you guys are like a tornado when you argue amongst yourselves. I don't mind that, because discussion is the way to find the truth. But honestly, sometimes you overwhelm me.

I'm starting to enjoy this season, probably because I prefer solving problems to being bored by victory parades. Also because I'm used to unpleasant surprises with Fernando. All I hope is that things progress gradually and that the end of the season will be very different from the beginning. It's tough, but I still think that perhaps for the first time, Fernando has a great team behind him. So, I guess it's just a matter of waiting.

Yeah, they will improve, but, how long will
But how long will this wait be? U mentioned Fernando, can he wait? In truth, whatever it was, it went very wrong; we, the media, and Aston Martin itself expected to be ahead this year.
Perhaps not in the first place, but certainly, even in the worst-case scenario, what is happening now was not expected. I dont trust on Honda, they already did that and they just will be better 4,5 years after. They underestimate this sport and are arrogant; just look at the number of statements they made before the season. Sometimes, they don't even seem Japanese, a people known for competence and frankness. They just lie in the media. I dont expect nothing more than beat the Cadillac this year.

[Bill]

According to indications emerging from Japan , the source of the vibrations may not be exclusively linked to the power unit. Attention has also shifted to the transmission, an area on which the team has changed its approach compared to the past.

[Redragon]

Alonso missing tomorrow press day because his first child born and probably that’s why Friday was planned not to be running on FP1. So would say a chill year for alonso changing nappies for sure, can wait a bit

[diffuser]

Alonso missing tomorrow press day because his first child born and probably that’s why Friday was planned not to be running on FP1. So would say a chill year for alonso changing nappies for sure can wait a bit

I saw that and thought the same....

[TyreSlip]

Alonso missing tomorrow press day because his first child born and probably that’s why Friday was planned not to be running on FP1. So would say a chill year for alonso changing nappies for sure can wait a bit

At the same time, I am sure Alonso misses racing this year.

[FrukostScones]

just heard ALO reproduced!!! yeehaw. ah older news, anyway good stuff.

[Honda Porsche fan]

According to indications emerging from Japan , the source of the vibrations may not be exclusively linked to the power unit. Attention has also shifted to the transmission, an area on which the team has changed its approach compared to the past.

Wouldn't that be something if they find out it's been the AM transmission all along ?

[HPD]

According to indications emerging from Japan , the source of the vibrations may not be exclusively linked to the power unit. Attention has also shifted to the transmission, an area on which the team has changed its approach compared to the past.

Wouldn't that be something if they find out it's been the AM transmission all along ?

If that were the case, do you think AM would admit it? If the gearbox were even 5% to blame, AM wouldn't admit it. In this respect, AM and McLaren are alike, hahaha.

[HPD]

Wow, I learn a lot from you all, and I'm glad this is the most active F1 team subforum... but sometimes I have to stop paying attention because you guys are like a tornado when you argue amongst yourselves. I don't mind that, because discussion is the way to find the truth. But honestly, sometimes you overwhelm me.

I'm starting to enjoy this season, probably because I prefer solving problems to being bored by victory parades. Also because I'm used to unpleasant surprises with Fernando. All I hope is that things progress gradually and that the end of the season will be very different from the beginning. It's tough, but I still think that perhaps for the first time, Fernando has a great team behind him. So, I guess it's just a matter of waiting.

Believe me, I understand. The forum can be exhausting with so much negativity and people crying. I try to watch F1 from an entertainment perspective and I'm enjoying seeing the progress this car can make. But people get too stressed. I feel sorry for Alonso, but from a technical standpoint, I'm very interested to see how AM and Honda approach this year.

[peewon]

Can we forget the Ferrari sob-story already? They didn't win because they didn't build good enough cars, and lost years because of engine cheating.

The difference between cheating and clever engineering loophole is simply whether FIA wants to favor you or not. The pattern is very clear since 2014.

[peewon]

I'm not including the lost years with McLaren.

Why not? If you dont include the terrible things Hitler did, he would be a great person.

Honda was allowed to develop their PU with Toro Rosso. AMR should take note.

Who was stopping them from developing with Mclaren? All Toro Rosso did was relax the dimensional requirements. This was also their 4th season upon return and they had changed their top level management as well engine architecture in those years. Even then they came with the funky MGU-K placement which didnt work and had to change. Then they slowly got better and more reliable. Sound familiar?

BTW, Toro Rosso finished 9th in constructors that season in case anyone thinks this was some redemption season for Honda and the fault was with Mclaren.

Why do you think the Racing Bulls cars was even a podium contender last year?

Because they literally came out and said they would be copying more stuff from RedBull? And many teams had shifted focus to 2026 which resulted in a very compact mid field. Again, we know the performance numbers. Honda wasnt some pack leading PU like Mercedes is now.

The championship was won by Redbull's Hero, Max Verstappen. And he credited the Honda engine and that's why Honda backed him. His feedback was impeccable, and in turn, Honda worked on drivability.

People are usually very gracious when things go well. And Im sure Honda did manage to make improvements but Verstappen only had to deal with them when they had made most of their mistakes and were on track.

Your usage of the word "shambolic" and twice simply demonstrates a lack of understanding and appreciation for the actual challenge Honda has joined F1 for. So you'll never get it.

Most people who are not ideologically committed to defend Honda see this as 'shambolic'. This is literally the opinion of everyone now and in 2015 who isnt in the Honda orbit. Yes, it was a big challenge but Honda failed it spectacularly. If they were competitive or even able to finish races, it wouldnt be a big deal.