Aston Martin and Adrian Newey set for F1 cost cap boost after FIA twist

Newey, copy right Aston Martin — Photo: © IMAGO

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Aston Martin and Adrian Newey set for F1 cost cap boost after FIA twist

The FIA rules mean Aston Martin could have more to spend

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 20 March 2026 08:59

The struggling Aston Martin team have been handed a boost by the cancellations of two F1 races in 2026.

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have fallen off the 2026 F1 calendar, being cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East.

That means that there are now only 22 race weekends scheduled for 2026, with the first two already having passed.

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In both the Chinese and Australian Grands Prix, Aston Martin failed to have even one of their cars finish the race, and it's looking likely to be a difficult season for the Silverstone-based outfit amid their Honda power unit woes.

The team suffered a shortage of parts at the Australian GP, and are already scrambling to try and find solutions to their car's woeful performance.

But they may have now been handed a boost by FIA rules which state that the cost cap that was decided ahead of the start of the season is set out for '24 competitions or fewer', meaning it will not change despite the cancellation of the two races that were scheduled for April.

That number was set at $215million before the start of the season and will remain at that, with F1 journalist Matt Coch reporting that this means teams have an extra $1.8million per event to spend, great news for Aston Martin as they try and claw their way back into competitiveness.

The extra spend will not only help them and their managing technical partner Adrian Newey to bring upgrades to the car, but the cancellation of the two races will also help in their shortage of parts dilemma. Not to mention the extra five-week break in proceedings that there is now set to be after the Japanese GP.

Are Aston Martin on the lookout for a new team principal?

When F1 does return in May for the Miami GP after that five-week break, Aston Martin may have a new team principal at the helm of their team.

Newey is understood to be leading the search for a full-time team boss so that he can switch his focus back to what he does best, designing cars.

Andreas Seidl, Gianpiero Lambiase and Christian Horner have all been mentioned in rumours about the top job at Aston Martin, after Andy Cowell was given the axe late last year and Newey took on the extra responsibilities for the early part of 2026.

Newey is the greatest F1 car designer of all time, with his car designs having claimed 26 world championships over the years, and Aston Martin allowing him to purely focus on car design can surely only be a good thing.

GPFans have contacted Aston Martin for comment on the rumours that Newey could be set to stand down from his team principal role.

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