F1 News: Ferrari congratulated after Adrian Newey investigation

Newey looking annoyed with green Aston Martin background and Hamilton smiling with red Ferrari background — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 2026: Ferrari congratulated after Adrian Newey investigation

Adrian Newey is a legend of the sport

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 12 March 2026 08:55

Amid Aston Martin's early 2026 struggles, F1 design legend Adrian Newey has handed a huge vote of confidence to Ferrari.

Aston Martin looked in disarray at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, with Fernando Alonso having to retire his car, and Lance Stroll finishing the race 15 laps behind the rest of the field, as Aston Martin confirmed that they used the first race weekend of the year as a huge testing session.

Their new power unit partnership with Honda has not got off to a good start, and they completed the fewest laps of all teams across pre-season testing.

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They appear to be last in the pecking order, despite having been hoping to compete nearer to the front in 2026 amid the regulations overhaul.

Newey joined the team last year, and his track record of having won 26 championships across his career with other teams gave Aston Martin hope that they could become a real force in F1 over the next few years.

But at the Australian GP, the Brit seemed more interested in Ferrari's SF-26. Ferrari made a good start to the season by finishing third and fourth in Melbourne, and a video from the weekend shows Newey stood next to the team's car and taking some notes.

"If Newey is studying your car…congratulations, you just became the blueprint," one user on X commented.

Another fan said: "This is the highest form of compliment," while another quipped: "Newey sketching the SF-26 to send to the 3D printer just in time for Aston Martin upgrades this weekend!"

One user said in relation to Aston Martin's early Honda struggles: "I think the most important thing he could take from Ferrari would be their engine."

Another fan joked that Newey could be set to steal Ferrari's car design ideas, saying: "If I was Ferrari I would not let this man to even see my car."

Can Ferrari challenge for the championship?

While Ferrari's end result didn't necessarily highlight that they might be in the fight for the championship with Mercedes achieving a one-two in qualifying and the race, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton led the Australian Grand Prix last Sunday.

Strategy calls prevented them from seriously challenging for the race win, but when fighting with George Russell, Leclerc's SF-26 looked every bit as fast as the Mercedes.

Time will tell as to whether they can sustain a real challenge to Mercedes across multiple race weekends, and whether they can stay ahead of their other rivals for race wins in McLaren and Red Bull.

Ferrari Aston Martin Adrian Newey Australian Grand Prix 2026 regulations