After all the hype, will Aston Martin be the biggest flop of F1 2026?

There was so much hype and expectation surrounding a rejuvenated Aston Martin heading into Formula 1’s new dawn in 2026, but it feels more like crisis than champions-in-waiting. 

This was meant to be the start of an exciting new era for Aston Martin, who has been planning to become F1 disrupters and transform its operation into a world championship-winning force in the years to come. 

While nobody expected this to be an overnight success story, the 2026 rules overhaul was seen as a key opportunity for Aston Martin to move closer to the front of the grid under the helm of design legend Adrian Newey, and ultimately, edge closer to the goals set out by ambitious team owner Lawrence Stroll. 

On paper, Aston Martin finally has everything in place. Newey, F1’s most successful car designer, was poached along with other big-name signings like ex-Ferrari technical chief Enrico Cardile, and has built his first car to be driven by one of the all-time greats, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. A new state-of-the-art campus and wind tunnel is now operational at Silverstone, and Honda are Aston Martin’s new works engine partner. 

Some went as far as to claim Aston Martin could be winners from the off in 2026, such is the regard Newey is held in, while others were more reserved. Most felt the bare minimum was to improve on a pretty disappointing seventh-placed finish in last year’s constructors’ championship. 

But the year has started badly before a competitive wheel has been turned. 

Aston Martin’s tough start 

The first warning signs came when Aston Martin arrived late at a five-day behind closed doors shakedown at Barcelona at the end of January. 

Aston Martin’s anticipated AMR26 finally emerged on track for the final hour of running on the penultimate day, but broke down after only four laps. This came after Newey had already confessed Aston Martin was on the back foot due to starting development of its 2026 car four months later than its rivals. 

Moving on to the first week of official pre-season testing in Bahrain, Lance Stroll completed just 36 laps on the opening day before Aston Martin’s programme was cut-short due to an engine anomaly. 

Alonso had a better day on Thursday but it was his teammate who made the headlines with the grim claim that Aston Martin is at least four seconds adrift of the front of the field. 

Alonso was not happy with the performance of the new Aston Martin, and was seen throwing his gloves away in frustration after getting out of the AMR26, which has not only been badly off the pace, but also looked one of the most difficult cars to drive. 

There has been speculation that the performance of the new Honda power unit has been restricted due to reliability concerns. Whether or not that is indeed the case, the Japanese manufacturer certainly seems to be lagging behind its rivals, and managed the fewest miles across the opening test. 

These concerns have not been alleviated during the second week of pre-season testing in Bahrain. Alonso broke down on the penultimate day as Honda power unit problems once more heavily restricting Aston Martin's running. 

Aston Martin has been forced to restrict its running on the final day as a result. 

"We have been carrying out simulations on the test bench in HRC Sakura," a Honda statement confirmed. "Due to this and a shortage of power unit parts, we have adapted today's run plan to be very limited and consist only of short stints."

Adding further complications to the mix is the fact Aston Martin has developed its first in-house gearbox and hydraulics system, and Honda is working with new F1 fuel supplier Aramco following a switch to more advanced sustainable fuels. 

That is a lot of components to get right. And even if the genius that is Newey has aced the aerodynamic side of things, any deficiency with the power unit will cost vital competitiveness. 

Just how bad are things? 

While Stroll’s worrying pace claim may have been exaggerated, Aston Martin admits it holds a deficit to its rivals. Knowing exactly how damaging that is remains hard to ascertain at this stage. 

Aston Martin expected a difficult start, but things seem to be worse than it initially feared. Testing times should always be taken with a pinch of salt, but Aston Martin appears to only be 10th-fastest as things stand. 

"No one is happy when you are a second slower than what you were expecting,” Aston Martin team representative Pedro de la Rosa conceded at the end of play on Friday. 

“Looking back is always easy, in terms of how we should have, shouldn't have – it doesn't work in motorsport,” he added. 

"But if we had possibly started earlier, if Adrian would have been here not March 2, but a few months earlier, if Honda wouldn't have gone and then come back - it's ifs and buts.

"Bottom line is we are slow, we're not where we want to be, let's get a plan together. We know exactly what's wrong, and work on it.

"So let's look ahead, not look back at what went wrong, what we didn't [do]. It's very easy to blame the time and that we started late. It was many reasons.

"The important thing is that we know what they are, really. That's what gives us the confidence that slowly, gradually, the difference will shrink.”

The 2026 season is set to be a long road for Aston Martin, but time is not something everyone at the team has on their side. 

What does this mean for Alonso?

The hole Aston Martin currently finds itself in raises bigger questions; such as the one hanging over Alonso’s uncertain future.

Alonso turns 45 in July and is out of contract at the end of the season. The Spaniard was sold a long-term project and was always aware he may not be around when Aston Martin is ready to compete for world titles, but either way, he wanted to play a hand in any future success. 

One thing is for certain, potentially starting 2026 at the back of the grid wasn’t part of Alonso’s plan. If Aston Martin does find itself struggling at the tail-end, parallels will quickly be drawn to Alonso’s ill-fated second stint at McLaren and the Woking squad’s disastrous partnership with Honda.

There is a genuine risk that Alonso, who many believe is deserving of more world championships than he holds, ends an F1 career largely defined by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, fizzling out on a whimper. 

Publicly, at least, Alonso is putting a brave face on things. He has expressed confidence that Aston Martin will eventually have the best car in F1 despite its underwhelming start to pre-season testing. 

Alonso told Sky Sports F1 that Aston Martin must “walk before we run”. The problem is that for a long time, Aston Martin has talked the talk and continued to stumble at each hurdle. It no longer has the safety net of a hiding place.