Aston Martin’s Newey-designed AMR26 is being hailed by as being ‘on another level’, with insiders praising the team’s attention to detail and relentless effort in bringing the car to the track.

Having confirmed that it would be late to the pre-season shakedown, Aston Martin’s inaugural Honda-powered car finally broke covers during the final hour of Thursday’s running at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Adrian Newey’s Aston Martin AMR26 ‘on another level’

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Lance Stroll completed five laps before a suspected electrical issue brought his running to a premature end, the Canadian handing the car over to Fernando Alonso for Friday’s running.

The Spaniard covered 49 laps and while his fastest time was over four seconds down on Lewis Hamilton’s pace-setting time, reports from the circuit claimed he was running with a speed limit of up to 275 kph given it was Aston Martin’s first full day out on track with the brand new Honda power unit.

The buzz around the AMR26, arguably the most hotly anticipated car of the year, was palpable, as rivals, pundits and fans tried to take a closer look at the Newey-led creation.

From its double-pushrod suspension to its 2005 McLaren-esque horns, PlanetF1.com technical editor Matt Somerfield noted areas such as the nose, sidepods and engine cover, labelling the car a “masterclass”.

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“AMR26 – my 25th F1 car build, but my first ‘Newey’ car,” Neil Zambardi-Christie, a fabricator with Aston Martin and an F1 veteran, wrote on LinkedIn.

 

“There’s been some great cars over the years (and a couple of shockers) but this one is on another level. The design and attention to detail is incredible, but what’s more impressive is the way in which the entire team has risen to the challenges created by the designs and timeframes involved.

“Every single member of staff has had a hand in this, from the factory cleaners, right up to the technical directors, because it’s a team effort and everyone should be proud of what we’ve created.

“A lot of people have worked crazy hours for months on end to get to here and the strain on them and their families and loved ones gets massively underestimated, but their commitment and dedication and sheer bloody hard work is what’s got us to this point, so they deserve way more credit than they’ll probably ever get, but it’s a big thanks from me to all my colleagues. A fantastic team effort that I’m proud to be part of.

“Time will tell if it’s any good, but if it goes as fast as it looks, we could be in for a good year…”

Newey’s AMR26 has also been applauded by Sky’s Bernie Collins, a former Aston Martin strategist.

“Quite an aggressive design. Not painted is a good way to hide the aspects of the car,” she said. “t’s very difficult in moving pictures to see any of the detail in there. I think that’s one of the reasons why teams have run sort of that type of livery.

“And at this stage, it doesn’t need to be painted. They can get the paint on it in the next two weeks, if they want to, before they get it to Bahrain. So that’s many reasons why not to do that. That is not necessary for the data that Adrian really needs in order to continue to develop this car.

“But it does look really, really, really good.”

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