Fans go wild over 'super-illegal' Aston Martin car spotted during F1 break

Photo: © IMAGO

Aston Martin

Fans go wild over 'super-illegal' Aston Martin car spotted during F1 break

Aston Martin were spotted at the Silverstone track testing an unusual looking car

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Saturday 11 April 2026 22:59

An unusual Aston Martin car has been spotted on the track during the F1 spring break.

There are no F1 races in April due to the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, and the next time F1 will see a race weekend will be in May for the Miami Grand Prix.

Aston Martin will be grateful for the break, with the team having not had a good start to the 2026 season.

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Aston Martin managed to finish the Japanese Grand Prix with one of their cars, the first time either Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll have been able to finish a grand prix as the team struggle with reliability issues.

And while the F1 team are likely hard at work during this five-week break to try and fix the problems with their AMR26 and the Honda power unit, Aston Martin have also been spotted testing their Valkyrie hypercar.

But the Valkyrie - which was designed by Adrian Newey - looked a little different, with its entire central section having been ripped out and converted into a single seater, with large parts of the car having been stuck together with tape.

Another user quipped: "I think that’s a heavily disguised Aston Martin F1 car in a bid to try fix their vibration issues without seemingly falling foul of the testing restrictions."

One Aston Martin fan asked whether Newey should be checked in on, saying: "Has anyone seen Newey recently? It could be time for a wellness check," while another said: "Imagine if that monstrosity is the next f1 car regulations."

Will Aston Martin return from the break stronger?

Not only are Aston Martin struggling with reliability issues, but their Honda power unit is also not giving them the power to be fast compared to their rivals either.

Even when they have managed to complete a session, they have looked to be one of the slowest teams on the grid thanks to that Honda power unit, although Newey's AMR26 car design is not entirely blameless either.

Aston Martin were outqualified by even new team Cadillac at the Japanese Grand Prix, and appear to be a long way from being able to compete for points.

But this break could help them. Newey will be looking to develop upgrades to his AMR26 design which could be brought to future races, while Honda will be troubleshooting and trying to get to the bottom of what is causing such intense vibrations in the cars for Stroll and Alonso.

On top of this, the first Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) period is fast approaching, with the FIA having brought that rule in at the start of the season to act as a safety net for struggling power unit manufacturers.

It means that upgrades can be brought to the new power units at three different stages of the F1 season, after races six, 12 and 18. The first of those periods takes place following the Monaco Grand Prix in June.

F1 Aston Martin