F1 News: Aston Martin are only 'patching up wounds', top insider tapes brakes on Newey hype

Adrian Newey, Lawrence Stroll, generic, Aston Martin, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

Aston Martin F1

Aston Martin are only 'patching up wounds', top F1 insider taps brakes on Newey hype train

Not so fast...

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Wednesday 12 August 2026 08:57

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The hype round the Aston Martin comeback story is real in F1 circles right now, but not everybody is drinking the Kool Aid yet.

The team bounced back to some form of relevance at the Hungarian Grand Prix when team principal Adrian Newey masterminded a massive package of 16 upgrades.

The end result was lap times improving by around two seconds, and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso finally making it out of Q1.

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This was a huge improvement from a first half of the 2026 season which had seen Aston become a laughing stock as they trailed their rivals by several seconds. The team have scored just one solitary point so far.

Next up is a long-awaited upgrade to that much-maligned Honda power unit for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, and that should bring the team in green yet closer to their midfield rivals.

Lobato taps brakes on Aston Martin hype train

Despite the renewed optimism leading Spanish insider Antonio Lobato has tapped the brakes on the hype as he looks to provide context to where Aston Martin are right now.

DAZN commentator Lobato - often referenced as a close Alonso confidant - believes the team is still only 'patching up wounds' and this is not what was expected from their 2026 campaign.

Speaking to SoyMotor, he said: "Apart from the B version of the Honda engine that arrives in Zandvoort, another aerodynamic package is planned for Baku. And there is also something planned for Italy.

"So these are steps that they will continue taking in this final stretch of the championship.

"They chose not to do anything new, not to introduce any upgrades in the first part of the season, and from now on they are doing everything, and that could put them in a more interesting position. What position? I don’t know.

"I think that, in any case, it’s far from the initial objective. So what they are doing is patching up the wounds. We’re going to reach the end of the season in a position in which I think none of us wanted or thought Aston Martin would be this year."

It's been a tough 2026 for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

'Being best of the rest wasn't the objective'

Before the 2026 season began the Newey factor - added to the presence of Alonso behind the wheel - had many expecting Aston to content for race wins, not a place in Q2. Lobato believes that context should not be forgotten.

"At best, they will fight with Audi, we see them fighting with Alpine, we see them fighting, I don’t know, with RB one day. I don’t think so. They have to row a lot to get there.

"That wasn’t the objective either. Being the best of the rest wasn’t the objective. We were thinking bigger. In any case, anything that means seeing an evolution will be good, not for this year, but for the following year."

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F1 Aston Martin Adrian Newey Lawrence Stroll