FORMULA 1 F1 CALENDAR 2026 LEWIS HAMILTON MOTOGP RUMOURS

'Powerless' Newey delivers grim verdict on Aston Martin’s deepening crisis

Photo: Race Pictures

F1 News

04:50, 06 Mar

Updated: 04:51, 06 Mar

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byTobia Elia

Adrian Newey admitted he feels “powerless” amid Aston Martin’s dramatic struggles at the start of the 2026 season.

"I think it's one where I kind of feel a bit powerless because clearly got a very significant PU problem and our lack of running then also means at the same time we're not finding out about the car"

- Adrian Newey

Newey feels “powerless” amid Aston Martin’s struggles

Speaking during the team principals’ press conference held between FP1 and FP2 in Melbourne, the Briton was asked whether this was one of the toughest moments of his career.

"I think it's one where I kind of feel a bit powerless because clearly got a very significant PU problem and our lack of running then also means at the same time we're not finding out about the car. Our information on the car itself is very limited because we've done so little running, and particularly running at low fuel because fuel acts as a damper to the battery.

The Briton, however, stopped short of placing the blame solely on Honda, stressing that at the moment the entire package — chassis and power unit — is lacking compared to the competition.

"Honda have limited us very much to how much low fuel running we can do. It just becomes a self-feeding problem. It's using a lot of energy in the human sense as opposed to the kilowatt sense on our part to try to work with Honda and to produce the best overall solution, because we can turn around and say 'well it's not our problem but it is our problem', because ultimately the car is the combination of chassis and PU."

Photo: Race Pictures

Aston Martin nightmare continues as both cars struck by technical trouble in FP1

Aston Martin confirmed that Fernando Alonso was unable to take part in FP1 in Melbourne after an issue was discovered on his AMR26, meaning the two-time world champion’s season began on the back foot before he had even completed a lap.

The Silverstone-based outfit also revealed that Lance Stroll’s session was cut short due to a suspected power unit problem, leaving the Canadian among the least active drivers on track, along with Lando Norris, who was also hampered by technical issues.

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