The first Aston Martin to be designed under the leadership of eminent designer Adrian Newey has appeared in pre-season testing.
The car’s debut had been delayed – although the team has not explained why – but Aston Martin managed to get the AMR26 out for the final hour of running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Thursday.
Lance Stroll managed only four laps and was not pushing anywhere close to the limit, but the car’s design has already caught the attention.
Running in an all-black camouflage livery, its nose, side pods and engine cover were clearly different from those that had appeared on most cars so far.
The test is being held in private and no independent media are permitted.
However, from the few photographs Aston Martin have published, the nose appears wider than the norm on cars designed to the new 2026 rules – with a shape perhaps reminiscent of a duck’s bill.
The side pods are very thin and heavily undercut, the front suspension mounting points are very high on the chassis and the engine cover is heavily cut away.
Aston Martin have not yet commented on their running. Lead driver Fernando Alonso is due in the car on Friday – the fifth and final day of this week’s testing.
Newey’s cars have won 14 drivers’ championships and 12 constructors’ titles since 1991 across the Williams, McLaren and Red Bull teams.
He joined Aston Martin in March last year and has been working on the new 2026 car ever since.
F1 has changed its regulations this year and the chassis, engines, tyres and fuels are all new. Aston Martin have become the factory team of Honda, who have spent the past six years with Newey’s former team Red Bull.
