Lawrence Stroll's superteam dream turned into a nightmare. Aston Martin arrived in Australia with a car that couldn't run more than a handful of laps before vibrations from the Honda power unit forced it back to the garage. The problems traced back to early 2025 when Adrian Newey's delayed arrival and a windtunnel switch put the team three to four months behind on 2026 development. The AMR26 showed up late, overweight, and underbaked.
The Honda engine barely worked, torching batteries and limiting running through the opening rounds. Alonso finally completed a full race distance in Japan, but Aston spent most of the first half mired at the back. A hollow point at Monaco was the only reward.
The B-spec in Hungary clawed back two seconds and moved them ahead of Cadillac and Williams. With a stronger Honda unit arriving in the Netherlands, the second half becomes about building a foundation for 2027 rather than salvaging 2026.
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