Adrian Newey believes Aston Martin's long-awaited B-spec challenger has made an encouraging first impression, even if the team's headline upgrade package endured a frustrating start with a mechanical failure on its competitive debut.
The legendary designer watched Aston Martin roll out what is effectively an extensively reworked AMR26 during Friday's opening practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
While Fernando Alonso completed the session and gathered valuable data, Lance Stroll's running ended prematurely after a suspected rear suspension failure.
Even so, Newey struck an optimistic tone, insisting the first indications suggest Aston Martin's biggest upgrade of the season is moving in the right direction.
Early signs offer encouragement
Although Aston Martin's new package represents the first major step in a broader development programme that will continue over the coming races, Newey cautioned against drawing firm conclusions after a single practice session.
"Very early days in terms of understanding the new package. Provisional results are promising,” said Aston’s team principal.
“It’s only part of the package. We will have some more steps in Zandvoort, Monza and Baku, so it is the first part of our planned upgrade. Very short on parts so being careful with it and trying to learn all about it.”
The scale of the changes introduced in Budapest reflects months of work behind the scenes. Although the chassis and several key mechanical components remain unchanged, Aston Martin has extensively revised the car's aerodynamic philosophy.
“It's an evolution in as much as the chassis is the same, the layout's the same, front suspension's the same. So, it's very much an aerodynamic evolution,” Newey added.
“We were very short on time research time prior to launch of the car back in at Barcelona in February. So, it's really been a matter of taking a step back, trying to understand, and go forward with this package.”
No promises, just progress
Despite the anticipation surrounding the upgrade, Newey made it clear Aston Martin is resisting the temptation to define success by immediate results.
Instead, his focus remains on methodically improving every aspect of the team's operation rather than chasing short-term targets.
“I've never been a fan of setting goals,” he stressed. “Much more a fan of working logically through problems, getting everybody working together, getting a culture together, and then at that point, you end up where you end up.
"What I have found over the years is when you're not winning, it seems an impossible mountain to climb. When you are winning, sometimes you're not sure how you got there, because you're not actually doing anything different, or you don't feel as if you're doing anything different.”
Suspension failure clouds B-spec car’s debut
The day's biggest disappointment came when Stroll's AMR26 suffered an apparent rear suspension failure after just 11 laps, cutting short Aston Martin's opportunity to gather crucial information from both cars.
Newey confirmed the team had immediately launched an investigation but admitted the problem came from an unexpected area.
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Tech F1i: Aston Martin details extensive AMR26 upgrade package"Everybody is feverishly trying to understand what went wrong and it is only once we have an understanding that we can comment on what we do next,” he said.
"The area involved is not what has been changed, so in that sense it was very unexpected."
With further upgrade phases already scheduled for Zandvoort, Monza and Baku, Aston Martin's ambitious development programme is only just beginning.
The first verdict may be cautiously optimistic, but Newey knows the true measure of the B-spec AMR26 will only emerge once the team has fully understood – and fully exploited – its potential.
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