F1 insider: Aston Martin flop deserves 'proper w***** trophy'

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F1 News & Gossip

Aston Martin flop deserves 'proper w***** trophy' says F1 insider

The Aston Martin Honda F1 project has led to yet another unwanted outcome

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 14 March 2026 15:55

Aston Martin F1 team have been saddled with a highly unwanted accolade after a disaster start to their power unit partnership with Honda.

Last weekend's Australian Grand Prix marked the beginning of the 2026 championship, and a new cycle of chassis and power unit regulations.

Though neither of Aston Martin's F1 drivers managed to complete a full-length grand prix in Melbourne last time out, the team's struggles began way before the first round of the championship.

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Adrian Newey's F1 squad barely made it to the January shakedown, and even when they did, they put in a measly 65 laps with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll unable to test the true reliability of their new machinery.

Things only got worse during pre-season testing the following month, when Honda confirmed a power unit issue that prevented their running entirely on the final day.

Fast forward to March and Alonso has admitted his team are still suffering from a parts shortage, and that the vibrations said to be putting he and Stroll at risk of permanent nerve damage have not improved.

But even though Aston Martin look unlikely to complete a grand prix in full once again this weekend, perhaps the worst part of it all is that Guenther Steiner just called them w******.

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Steiner: Aston Martin 'unanimously' voted F1 w******

Speaking in the post-Australian Grand Prix episode of the Red Flags Podcast, Steiner used the regular 'Rockstar & W*****' segment to shine a light on the hard work put in by the Mercedes mechanics, whilst contrasting it with the horrendous display put on by Aston Martin in Melbourne.

Asked who he would give the w***** trophy to after the first round of the new season, Steiner said: "I think that trophy goes by unanimous vote in my opinion to Aston Martin."

"To come to a race like this as an established team… very disappointed," the former Haas team principal continued, shaking his head as he for once found himself almost lost for words.

Touching on the high expectations that had surrounded Aston Martin's first F1 car designed by Newey, Steiner continued: "I mean with all the fanfare they came in, what they're going to do, and it's not a new team or anything and coming there like this in F1 shouldn't happen.

"I mean what it did, it took the light away from Cadillac because in my opinion they didn't shine because they were down three laps you know and a company like General Motors coming into Formula 1 as much as we can say, ‘yeah it's difficult, yeah it’s difficult,' I hope they knew that before or before they entered that it isn't going to be easy.

The opinionated pundit then turned his attention back to Newey’s new squad, adding: "But for sure what Aston Martin came up with there, that deserves a proper w***** trophy.

Asked if he took even the slightest bit of encouragement from the tiny element of pace that Alonso showed last weekend, Steiner added: "Yeah, but they should have figured out that before Bahrain [where pre-season testing took place last month]."

Attempting to find even a slither of positivity from Aston Martin's first partnership with Honda, Steiner said: "The silver lining I would say when they were out there knowing how bad they are, their lap time. Obviously it wasn't good, but it was faster than the Cadillac I think when they got going.

"So that's the silver lining… when Fernando put some laps in, they were not, you know, embarrassing."

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Aston Martin 2026 regulations Guenther Steiner Honda