Aston Martin continues to face a difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season, with reliability issues from its engine supplier, Honda, compromising the team’s performance at the Australian GP. Adrian Newey, head of Aston Martin, revealed that the Japanese team faces serious experience limitations in its new setup.
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“When they reorganized, a large part of the original group disbanded and went to work on solar panels or other areas. So, much of the group that returned is new to Formula 1 and did not bring the experience they had previously,” Newey explained. He also highlighted that Honda’s return in 2023 coincided with the first season of the engine budget cap, while competitors had already developed their power units with continuity in 2021 and 2022.
The Aston Martin executive revealed that Honda’s true lack of experience was only discovered in November 2025, during a visit to Tokyo to address rumors about the engine’s inability to reach the predicted power for the first race: “Many of the original workforce did not return when Honda restarted with F1,” concluded the experienced designer.
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Aston Martin will now have the mission to overcome these technical and logistical difficulties from the Japanese supplier, while adjusting to the new engine and the new 2026 regulations, in the hope of regaining competitiveness in the upcoming races.
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