Legendary designer Newey, now team principal at Aston Martin, arrived to the Silverstone squad in March 2025, at which point rival teams would have been developing their 2026 cars for two months - Aston, meanwhile, did not start wind tunnel development until April.

At the second Bahrain winter test, Aston Martin were the slowest team, and only completed 128 laps, with Lance Stroll's running limited to just six on the final day thanks to issues that supplier Honda went on to describe as "extremely serious and severe."

Speaking at Peugeot's presentation of its 9X8 hypercar for the 2026 WEC season, Aston reserve Vandoorne reflected on the British team's struggles in Bahrain, putting his faith in Newey's "positive momentum" to change their fortunes despite the late arrival.

Vandoorne said, via Soy Motor: "Formula 1 is not easy. It is one of the most competitive environments there is, and things can change quickly. If you look at McLaren a couple of years ago, they were last, and suddenly they’re a winning team.

“Anything is possible, we have Adrian in the team. I know he arrived a little late, and [that] certainly hasn’t helped. But at least there’s that positive momentum that can radically change things.

On whether Aston Martin can make quick improvements, the former McLaren driver said the team have "a lot of work ahead of us," pinpointing Honda's integration into the team as a key area to look at.

"The simple reality is that we have to keep our heads down, work hard and find performance. The tests have been difficult. We are not at the level we want to be at the moment, and we have a lot of work ahead of us at the start of this season.

Sky F1 pundit and former driver Martin Brundle has offered his thoughts on Aston Martin's disastrous start to 2026, with the legendary broadcaster explaining why he believes the team in green are already in "dire trouble".