Newey makes Aston Martin happy with the AMR26: “They are smiling at the results they are seeing”
Aston Martin is working tirelessly on the AMR26, the car for next season. With Adrian Newey at the helm, the results are very promising and optimism is growing at Fernando Alonso's team headquarters in Silverstone.
After many years of failures in the development of their cars, Aston Martin has finally seen the light this season. There is no doubt that the team's resurgence after a disastrous start to the season has a lot to do with the new wind tunnel and the latest signings.
On one hand, Andy Cowell has taken the reins of the organization to create a simplified and efficient structure. On the other hand, Adrian Newey has multiplied the motivation and commitment of the employees, contributing to instill a culture of unbridled ambition.
The first real result of all this will be the AMR26, the car for next year that will welcome the new technical regulations. A regulation that breaks with everything current and particularly motivates Adrian Newey. But this year we have already had some glimpses of what is brewing in Silverstone. And the results are promising.
“We can already feel Cardile's experience through the initial impact it has had”
The new Aston Martin
Since Andy Cowell took charge in October 2024, many things have changed at Aston Martin. And the first reflection of all this was at the beginning of the season, when the team was able to reverse a worrying start.
“The results we have seen since we presented our update package in Imola have been largely positive, and we have subsequently improved them even more with elements like a new front wing. There has been a collective and thorough focus across the team to design and produce the updates and then maximize the car's performance,” Cowell explains in this regard.
“Of course, we would love to invest more energy in the AMR25, but now we are dedicating almost all our time to the '26 car”, adds the British engineer. “With the limited amount of resources still applied to the AMR25, it is really good to see how the department leaders have come together to find the best direction for development and optimization.”
Cowell admits that not everything has gone well this season, and that some parts have not performed as expected. For that reason, the team is investing in analyzing the causes to ensure that the success rate is even higher next year.
“Naturally, we are focused on the parts that have not gone so well so that we can continue improving” […], “but we will become stronger if we understand it. Problems are painful, but they provide the opportunity to learn and the team's willingness to do so has been great,” says the CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies.
The AMR26 promises
In any case, the top priority is the 2026 car. The first designed by Adrian Newey and the car that should place Aston Martin among the contenders for everything.
“We are focusing on ensuring that the performance of the AMR26 is as solid as possible”, explains Cowell. “We are working very closely with our technical partners Aramco, Honda, and Valvoline as we move strongly towards the next season.”
“Adrian Newey has added a great boost to the approach the team is taking and people are enjoying their work; they are smiling at the results they are seeing”, he anticipates, implying that things are going satisfactorily.
“We focus on what we can do day by day to ensure that the performance of the AMR26 is as solid as possible”, but also on how we can continue improving everything we have at our disposal,” continues the team director.
“Whether it’s optimizing the cutting-edge tools we have or empowering our people to make the most of those new tools or perfecting the engineering methods we use”, he adds.
Enrico Cardile, the icing on the cake
The latest major addition to Aston Martin has been Enrico Cardile, the new technical director from Ferrari who arrived in July.
Cowell highlights that “Enrico is a wonderful human being with great experience in Formula 1, both in terms of organizational methods and technical understanding,” and states that he has already made his impact on the team.
“He hasn’t been with us long, but the team can already feel that experience through the initial impact it has had, and I am excited to see how it evolves even more as he fully integrates and gets to know everyone,” he points out.
“On a personal level, being able to work with competitors like Enrico, Adrian, and all the fantastic minds we have within the team, in our effort to bring Aston Martin to the front of the Formula 1 grid, is extremely exciting”, concludes a grateful Andy Cowell.
