Aston Martin: Adrian Newey can optimise Honda partnership

Aston Martin reveal Newey impact in Honda co-operation

McLaren are proof that a customer team can succeed in Formula 1. It is not necessarily a requirement to be an engine manufacturer to win Championships – particularly in an era where most power units (aside from Renault) are evenly matched.

At the same time, there are inherent advantages to being an engine manufacturer. By producing power units independently, teams have complete control over their development – rather than having to adapt around the engine given to them.

This is essentially the shift that facilitated Red Bull’s dominance when the ground-effect era began. Switching to Honda power in 2019 gave the Milton Keynes outfit complete control over their own destiny.

No longer held back by Renault engines, the Austrian outfit could capitalise on their aerodynamic department’s elite work.

In a similar way, the seriousness of the Aston Martin project increased when they reached a deal for Honda to power their engines in 2026 and beyond. The Japanese manufacturer’s track record with Red Bull is highly impressive, and their agreement with Aston gives Adrian Newey and his personnel complete freedom in their development.

Speaking of Newey, the former Red Bull engineer has significant experience with Honda. This puts him in a unique position to ensure next year’s transition goes smoothly.

Meanwhile, Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell spent a decade in charge of Mercedes’ Powertrains. This combination gives Lawrence Stroll’s outfit a very good foundation to maximise their Honda partnership.

At the Singapore GP weekend, Cowell issued an update to the media on the team’s work with Honda:

“Yeah, Honda’s going great. They’re an engineering-led organisation, just like Aston Martin. They’re innovative, their sense of passion and commitment and courage is huge.

“I’m flying to Sakura on Monday, spending a couple of days with them after the race on Sunday.

“It’s an exciting time for the team to take that transition from a customer team, where you have very little say in what goes on at the rear of the car, to having all the debates about what the front of the power unit should look like – how do we do the cooling? How do we integrate with the transmission? How do we pull it all together.

“I guess that’s where Adrian being on board since March is really helpful.

“He’s got experience working with Honda, so there’s a natural understanding there already as to what can be pushed and what can’t. So yeah, exciting times.”

Going under the radar

To some extent, Aston Martin’s poor campaign has quietened the scrutiny surrounding their 2026 campaign.

When focusing on this year’s title fight, McLaren and Red Bull obviously grab the headlines. Mercedes, especially in the context of Verstappen and Russell’s contract talks, are also regularly discussed with a view to next season.

Even amongst the midfield, Williams are becoming a hot topic as wild cards for next year’s regulations. Aston are nowhere near as widely spoken about at the moment, outside of Fernando Alonso’s exploits to drag the AMR25 in the points.

In many ways, the Silverstone outfit will welcome this silence. The overwhelming consensus is that Mercedes are favourites for 2026. Simultaneously, there is also immense pressure on Ferrari to finally mount a serious title challenge.

Aston, meanwhile, are quietly making progress with a very accomplished manufacturer in Honda. In conjunction with fuel supplier Aramco, the British team are dark horses for next year’s reset.