2026 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team

[HondaPOD]

“Straight-line speed, it’s considerable,” Hamilton, who ended the day fifth fastest and nearly half a second behind pacesetter Russell, replied when asked what Ferrari’s main limitation was on Friday.

Asked if the issue is purely power related, or whether it could be solved by reducing downforce on the car, Hamilton said: “That's what we need to look into - if it's that, or if it's deployment.

"The engine is an improvement, which I'm really grateful for the guys back at the factory for working on. But our deployment schedule is different to the others, our competitors.
It seems like they maybe have less drag for the straights, so it's something we need to definitely look at tonight.”

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1103587/1 ... ne-upgrade

It's normal to assume that those who focus solely on one thing, or point to only one thing, in a situation where other people are looking everywhere, have malicious intentions.

The AMR26 isn’t only a draggy car, it’s also a heavy car. that combination is particularly punishing at Monza.
The weight penalty is not 0.3 s per 10 kg anymore. As James Vowles has pointed out, a car overweight can cost more than the traditional 0.3s. probably 0.5s per 10kg.

But we can continue to blame honda for the whole deficit.

[diffuser]

“Straight-line speed, it’s considerable,” Hamilton, who ended the day fifth fastest and nearly half a second behind pacesetter Russell, replied when asked what Ferrari’s main limitation was on Friday.

Asked if the issue is purely power related, or whether it could be solved by reducing downforce on the car, Hamilton said: “That's what we need to look into - if it's that, or if it's deployment.

"The engine is an improvement, which I'm really grateful for the guys back at the factory for working on. But our deployment schedule is different to the others, our competitors.
It seems like they maybe have less drag for the straights, so it's something we need to definitely look at tonight.”

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1103587/1 ... ne-upgrade

It's normal to assume that those who focus solely on one thing, or point to only one thing, in a situation where other people are looking everywhere, have malicious intentions.

The AMR26 isn’t only a draggy car, it’s also a heavy car. that combination is particularly punishing at Monza.
The weight penalty is not 0.3 s per 10 kg anymore. As James Vowles has pointed out, a car overweight can cost more than the traditional 0.3s. probably 0.5s per 10kg.

But we can continue to blame honda for the whole deficit.

The extra weight makes the car slower in corners, increases tire wear, which the AMR26 is one of the best. In straight line speed, extra weight isn't a limiter. Also remember nobody is at minimum weight, the lightest are probably 1 -2 kg over weight. So we're only talking 8 kg over the lightest.

But I don't get this defense of Honda when Honda themselves have said they're poor. Atleast Honda is honest about it.

[Sedaxel]

“Straight-line speed, it’s considerable,” Hamilton, who ended the day fifth fastest and nearly half a second behind pacesetter Russell, replied when asked what Ferrari’s main limitation was on Friday.

Asked if the issue is purely power related, or whether it could be solved by reducing downforce on the car, Hamilton said: “That's what we need to look into - if it's that, or if it's deployment.

"The engine is an improvement, which I'm really grateful for the guys back at the factory for working on. But our deployment schedule is different to the others, our competitors.
It seems like they maybe have less drag for the straights, so it's something we need to definitely look at tonight.”

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1103587/1 ... ne-upgrade

It's normal to assume that those who focus solely on one thing, or point to only one thing, in a situation where other people are looking everywhere, have malicious intentions.

The AMR26 isn’t only a draggy car, it’s also a heavy car. that combination is particularly punishing at Monza.
The weight penalty is not 0.3 s per 10 kg anymore. As James Vowles has pointed out, a car overweight can cost more than the traditional 0.3s. probably 0.5s per 10kg.

But we can continue to blame honda for the whole deficit.

Honda is NOT the only one to blame for the whole deficit.

Honda is the one to blame for the major part of the deficit right now.

We all want Honda to succeed and to bring a "normal" motor. Not asking for the best... Just a normal one. Currently, it's clearly the worst engine of the grid.

So apart from pointing out things as they are, let's give Honda the chance to improve their work. And to improve, neglecting the evidence doesn't help at all.

[diffuser]

Deployment is fixed today, we're not having any more problems. Starting to see more power.

[diffuser]

For those of you that think the AMR26 is draggy, remember that in 2026 the front and rear wings go up on straight and not so straight parts of the race track. They are the parts of the car that create the 2nd most drag and they literally get out of the way. So in the past if you ran a bigger wing, you paid for it on the straights, in 2026 you don't. Also if you look at the air inlets on the car, which create the most drag, they have the smallest by a large margin. The only thing they don't have is the Macarena wing but then only 2 cars have it.

[TyreSlip]

Deployment is fixed today, we're not having any more problems. Starting to see more power.

The car looked a lot better in FP3. At least a chance to fight the Cadillacs and have some fun with them on Sunday.

[Sedaxel]

Alonso is 2.7s to the leader, and Stroll 3.3s. it's more or less what's being expected in this circuit, I guess. If the car would have been the one of the start of the season, it would have been 6s behind, probably.

[TyreSlip]

Alonso is 2.7s to the leader, and Stroll 3.3s. it's more or less what's being expected in this circuit, I guess. If the car would have been the one of the start of the season, it would have been 6s behind, probably.

I get annoyed reading that some claim a 3 second deficit is somehow caused by drag and dismiss the power deficit. As diffuser said, the car looks sleeker with its inlet design than most of the other cars aerodynamically.

[KimiRai]

The AMR26 isn’t only a draggy car, it’s also a heavy car. that combination is particularly punishing at Monza.
The weight penalty is not 0.3 s per 10 kg anymore. As James Vowles has pointed out, a car overweight can cost more than the traditional 0.3s. probably 0.5s per 10kg.

That is reportedly getting fixed around Baku where they will be "very, very close" to the weight limit. Don't know about the 0.5s, seems too high.

Personally am not going to chastise Honda too much because it was expected. First of all they need to deliver the whole potential from aduo which has not happened yet as far as I can see.

[hollus]

Also remember nobody is at minimum weight

At this point in the season, I very much doubt that.

... remember that in 2026 the front and rear wings go up on straight and not so straight parts of the race track. They are the parts of the car that create the 2nd most drag and they literally get out of the way. So in the past if you ran a bigger wing, you paid for it on the straights, in 2026 you don't. Also if you look at the air inlets on the car, which create the most drag, they have the smallest by a large margin...

If we are playing that game, I am sure thet the common consensus is that the rear wing creates the most drag, up to a third of the total drag in past generations of cars. So I challenge that 1-2 combo, as much as I challenge looking at the drag on any one element in isolation.

That quote is, again, assumptions, unbased guesses stated as fact, and opinion. Would it be so hard to add "IMO" or "I think" here and there. Do you think it makes your argument weaker somehow?

If the whole point of that is to say that the car is not draggy (read not draggier than the others) because the wings can flatten out, that is missing the forest for one particular tree. That wing can still be graggier when flattened compared to the others, plus every other part of the car can be draggier than the others, including the whole setup (rake anyone?) of the car. Newey does not have a penchant for producing the draggiest car in the field, not at all /sarcasm off/.

You can not conclude that the car is not a drag monster compared to the others (neither can I conclude the opposite). Let´s remember what we don't know and the extremely thick fog of war, please. We - don't - know!

[venkyhere]

Also remember nobody is at minimum weight

At this point in the season, I very much doubt that.

... remember that in 2026 the front and rear wings go up on straight and not so straight parts of the race track. They are the parts of the car that create the 2nd most drag and they literally get out of the way. So in the past if you ran a bigger wing, you paid for it on the straights, in 2026 you don't. Also if you look at the air inlets on the car, which create the most drag, they have the smallest by a large margin...

If we are playing that game, I am sure thet the common consensus is that the rear wing creates the most drag, up to a third of the total drag in past generations of cars. So I challenge that 1-2 combo, as much as I challenge looking at the drag on any one element in isolation.

That quote is, again, assumptions, unbased guesses stated as fact, and opinion. Would it be so hard to add "IMO" or "I think" here and there. Do you think it makes your argument weaker somehow?

If the whole point of that is to say that the car is not draggy (read not draggier than the others) because the wings can flatten out, that is missing the forest for one particular tree. That wing can still be graggier when flattened compared to the others, plus every other part of the car can be draggier than the others, including the whole setup (rake anyone?) of the car. Newey does not have a penchant for producing the draggiest car in the field, not at all /sarcasm off/.

You can not conclude that the car is not a drag monster compared to the others (neither can I conclude the opposite). Let´s remember what we don't know and the extremely thick fog of war, please. We - don't - know!

That's useful time from your life spent on a thread that simply refuses to stick to the 'one thing' than an engineering-based-sport clearly makes 'relative performance' across competitors easy to judge - MEASURABLE UNITS. There is more phrases like 'my feeling says' , 'I dont think X or Y.. is responsible.' , 'I FEEL it's DEFINITELY engine/chassis/weight, even though I have no data' etc, in this thread, than one would find in a similar team thread in a football forum where people argue over 'what formation is best' (which isn't even 'measurable').

This thread seems more like a place where 'one set of feelings' goes to argue with 'another set of feelings' , instead of 'data inference A' pitted against 'data inference B'.

[diffuser]

Also remember nobody is at minimum weight

At this point in the season, I very much doubt that.

... remember that in 2026 the front and rear wings go up on straight and not so straight parts of the race track. They are the parts of the car that create the 2nd most drag and they literally get out of the way. So in the past if you ran a bigger wing, you paid for it on the straights, in 2026 you don't. Also if you look at the air inlets on the car, which create the most drag, they have the smallest by a large margin...

If we are playing that game, I am sure thet the common consensus is that the rear wing creates the most drag, up to a third of the total drag in past generations of cars. So I challenge that 1-2 combo, as much as I challenge looking at the drag on any one element in isolation.

That quote is, again, assumptions, unbased guesses stated as fact, and opinion. Would it be so hard to add "IMO" or "I think" here and there. Do you think it makes your argument weaker somehow?

If the whole point of that is to say that the car is not draggy (read not draggier than the others) because the wings can flatten out, that is missing the forest for one particular tree. That wing can still be graggier when flattened compared to the others, plus every other part of the car can be draggier than the others, including the whole setup (rake anyone?) of the car. Newey does not have a penchant for producing the draggiest car in the field, not at all /sarcasm off/.

You can not conclude that the car is not a drag monster compared to the others (neither can I conclude the opposite). Let´s remember what we don't know and the extremely thick fog of war, please. We - don't - know!

Agree, that was kind of my point. I'm not saying the chassis is perfect but don't try telling me that the Honda PU isn't an obvious contributor to the deficit at Monza.

[hollus]

For those of you that think the AMR26 is draggy ... The only thing they don't have is the Macarena wing but then only 2 cars have it.

I though your point was that the car was not particularly draggy, even average for the field, or that all cars are so close together in drag that it doesn't matter? Was it something else?

I think that the car is super draggy, including that it was originally designed for rake, and now that the rake is removed every element is 1-2 degrees out of optimum. Plus the Newey bias to moar! downforce!

But I believe all that. I don't know it.

[diffuser]

For those of you that think the AMR26 is draggy ... The only thing they don't have is the Macarena wing but then only 2 cars have it.

I though your point was that the car was not particularly draggy, even average for the field, or that all cars are so close together in drag that it doesn't matter? Was it something else?

I think that the car is super draggy, including that it was originally designed for rake, and now that the rake is removed every element is 1-2 degrees out of optimum. Plus the Newey bias to moar! downforce!

But I believe all that. I don't know it.

It's because people have been dropping heavy hints at the lack of top speed as being everything but the PU.


For example one of the Honda fans referenced the interview with Hamilton after FP2. In the interview Hamilton talks about his deficit to Russell might be drag might be different deployments. It's not like one of them is 10KPH slower than the other in every straight. Some straights Hamilton was faster others Russell was and further others they were equal. So yeah. In that conversation you can talk about drag being the differentiator.

[SchuMassa]

This is a proper slap in the face for all the Honda apologizers here