Jun.10 (GMM) Adrian Newey finally broke his silence in Monaco on Aston Martin’s disastrous start to 2026, insisting a major upgrade package is on the way.
The Monaco GP marked Newey’s first race weekend appearance since Melbourne, ending weeks of speculation about his absence amid rumours ranging from health concerns to suggestions Aston Martin preferred to keep its new team boss away from the spotlight during the team’s struggles.
Instead, the design legend arrived with a clear message.
“I’ve just been working on improving the car and an upgrade that we’ll probably have ready just before the summer break,” Newey said.
The comments align with recent indications that Aston Martin and Honda could both be preparing substantial upgrades around mid-season.
Honda’s Shintaro Orihara recently suggested an ADUO-assisted power unit upgrade could arrive sometime during the summer, while Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa says the team is preparing changes across the board.
“We’re really suffering a lot as a team, not just the drivers, but the mechanics, the engineers,” de la Rosa said at Barcelona’s F1 Fan Village.
“But we’re working flat out and this situation isn’t going to last much longer.
“We’re going to introduce a lot of changes starting in the summer.”
According to de la Rosa, the problems extend far beyond Honda’s underpowered engine.
“We need to improve in every area,” he admitted.
“We were expected to show decent results, but that didn’t happen, and now we need to improve in literally everything.
“It’s not just the engine – our car handles both high-speed corners and slow ones poorly. There is nothing particularly unusual about this and it just means that we have to redesign the chassis.”
Newey revealed that Aston Martin deliberately chose not to follow the path taken by many rivals, who have introduced a series of incremental upgrades since Melbourne.
“It’s a long, hard slog for them, obviously,” Newey said of drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
“Because we took the decision after Melbourne that rather than doing piecemeal updates, we’d take our time to put systems in place and do our research much more carefully.
“Everything was such a rush to get the car out for Melbourne. We said, okay, we’ll endure the short-term pain and hopefully make a decent step when we make it.”
Spanish journalist Jesus Balseiro described the troubled AMR26 as “a blot on Newey’s record”.
He compared Aston Martin’s first Newey-era car to McLaren’s radical Newey-designed MP4-18 project from 2003 – a machine that never even made it to a grand prix grid.
For Alonso, however, the constant discussion about future upgrades is becoming tiresome.
“We have the peace of mind that comes from doing good work, even if it’s not visible,” the Spaniard said. “But until it’s visible, it’s best not to talk.”
He added: “The development plan is clear. In the summer or during the break, although we don’t know if it will be before or after.
“There are many significant improvements. But we must maximise them and remain calm.”
De la Rosa also offered support for Honda as the Japanese manufacturer works to recover from its difficult start to the new regulations era.
“We’re very happy with their approach and how they tackled the vibration problems,” he said. “Ultimately, this is Formula 1, and it’s just physics – we expect to have more grip and power.
“It’s not complicated. But achieving it is.”
