Aston Martin F1 agony laid bare in 87 painful seconds as Newey shows strain in paddock video

Aston Martin

Aston Martin F1 agony laid bare in 87 painful seconds as Newey shows strain in paddock video

Testing hasn't signalled much hope for Aston Martin and Newey

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 19 February 2026 19:43

Aston Martin's F1 testing agony was laid bare in the paddock after a video circulated showing Adrian Newey in deep discussion with his team.

The 2026 season trumpeted a new era for Aston Martin, in their first car designed by Newey's genius and a fresh partnership with power unit manufacturer Honda.

Yet, the start of testing was plagued by a late arrival to the Barcelona shakedown, where they debuted an all black Aston Martin because they ran out of time to paint their customary racing green.

Article continues under video

In Bahrain, Lance Stroll bemoaned that the team were four seconds off their rivals, and after four days in total of testing in more representative conditions in Bahrain the verdict is in. Aston Martin are slower than their rivals. And their driver's displeasure cannot be hidden.

Newey and co. meet in Bahrain

As the second week of testing has commenced in Bahrain, the Aston Martin contingent were spotted in a meeting outside their motorhome in the paddock.

DAZN Spain captured Newey in the paddock, who was sat alongside Stroll, team owner Lawrence Stroll and chief technical officer Enrico Cardile.

While no audio accompanied the video, 87 seconds worth of footage depicted a painful interaction where Stroll Jr gesticulated wildly at Newey, as the design legend put his head in his hands.

Stroll Sr and Cardile listened intently as the Canadian driver and Newey were involved in a back-and-forth exchange, presumably conveying feedback on the car before they departed back inside the motorhome.

Hope springs eternal for Aston Martin however, with claims from F1 insiders that the team are sandbagging — intentionally playing down their performance — and Newey will be able to charge in to save the day.

On the chassis side, Newey reportedly understands the problem and may be able to fix it by the time the first grand prix of the season arrives in Australia.

Problems mount up for Aston Martin

But talks of sandbagging couldn't look wider of the mark after the team once again ended the testing day having run fewer laps than any other team.

Fernando Alonso could only put in 68 laps in his Aston Martin before his car suffered another Honda power failure that wrecked his and the team's afternoon and leaves them heading into the final day of testing in total chaos.

F1 Aston Martin Adrian Newey Lance Stroll pre-season testing Lawrence Stroll