Aston Martin Falls Behind in 2026: Newey's Decision and Honda's Problem

Aston Martin enters the 2026 season in a disappointing 10th place in the constructors' standings, far from the ambitions the Silverstone-based team had with the arrival of Adrian Newey and the return of Honda as engine supplier. BBC Sport's special Formula 1 correspondent, Andrew Benson, has now revealed a series of key details explaining why the Aston Martin-Honda package, so promising on paper, has underperformed at the start of the season.

Newey Halts Existing Work and Causes First Delay

According to Benson's information, the first problems appeared right at the start of the project. The new aerodynamic regulations for 2026 were published on January 2, 2025, but Adrian Newey did not officially begin working at Aston Martin in his new role as technical director and partner until March 2, 2025.

"When he arrived, he asked the team to stop working on what they had already done and to focus on his design. That set them back two months," Benson told BBC Sport. An additional blow came when it became clear that the wind tunnel was not ready to accommodate any model until mid-April, resulting in a total delay of nearly four months compared to the competition in terms of chassis development.

Honda Falls Behind, Team Only Finds Out in November

However, the problems were not limited to the chassis. "In addition, the team did not realize until November last year that Honda was far behind in the design of its engines," Benson reveals. The cumulative effect of all these delays became apparent in early 2026, when testing in Barcelona and Bahrain made it clear that both the car and the engine were uncompetitive and unreliable.

The current deficit in engine power is estimated at around 60 horsepower. The first improvement to Honda's engine arrives at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, held from August 21 to 23 after the summer break, but it will bring an increase of less than 30 hp. "It is expected to reduce some, but by no means all, or even most, of the gap to the leading engines," Benson emphasizes.

New Car Brings Progress, But True Newey Design Only in 2027

Despite the difficult start, Aston Martin has undergone a thorough reorganization over the past five months. As Newey put it, the team has "completely overhauled our way of working," improving organization, implementing various systems, and rethinking the car's design. The result was a B-spec car that debuted in Hungary with 16 upgrades.

The new car is significantly lighter and has much greater aerodynamic downforce, reducing lap times by about two seconds. Nevertheless, Benson warns that we will not see the first fully developed Newey design until 2027, and its competitiveness will also depend on how Honda fares with its engine for that season.

Veteran Engineer Leaves the Team

Meanwhile, Aston Martin is also shaken by a personnel change. Long-time engineer Tom McCullough will leave the team at the end of the season, F1.com confirms. McCullough has spent over a decade with the team through its various incarnations - Force India, Racing Point, and now Aston Martin - working in various roles focused on on-track performance.

He began his Formula 1 career at Williams in 2002 as a data engineer, later becoming a race engineer working with drivers such as Nico Hülkenberg, Rubens Barrichello, and Bruno Senna. After a brief stint at Sauber in 2013, he returned to the UK to lead the trackside engineering team at Force India, with which he achieved consecutive fourth places in 2016 and 2017 and the team's first victory under the Racing Point name in 2020.

In early 2025, McCullough was moved from the F1 project to a leading position in the part of the business focused on "expanding the team's portfolio in other racing categories." His duties were taken over by Mike Krack, who assumed the role of chief trackside officer. Further chassis improvements for Aston Martin will debut at Monza and Baku.