Adrian Newey could \u201cwave his magic wand\u201d and turn Aston Martin into title contenders in the F1 2026 season.<\/p>\n
That is the claim of 1996 world champion Damon Hill, who believes Aston Martin could spring \u201ca complete surprise\u201d under the new rules in a repeat of the Brawn GP story of 2009.<\/p>\n
Damon Hill: Adrian Newey could \u2018wave his magic wand over Aston Martin\u2019<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n After finishing a disappointing seventh in the 2025 constructors\u2019 standings, Aston Martin has been tipped to make significant strides forward under the new regulations in 2026.<\/p>\n The new AMR26 is the first car to be produced by Newey since his high-profile move from Red Bull last year, with this season marking the start of Aston Martin\u2019s highly anticipated technical partnership with Honda.<\/p>\n Newey, the most decorated individual in F1 history with involvement in more than 200 race wins and a combined 26 drivers\u2019 and constructors\u2019 championships, has aced rule changes with the likes of Red Bull, McLaren and Williams over the course of his career.<\/p>\n Analysis: Why it\u2019s right to play down Aston Martin-Honda\u2019s F1 2026 hopes<\/p>\n Why Adrian Newey\u2019s AMR26 suspension choice could prove critical for Aston Martin<\/a><\/p>\n Why Adrian Newey\u2019s private Alonso talks are so important for Aston Martin<\/a><\/p>\n Hill, who won the 1996 title behind the wheel of the Newey-influenced Williams FW18, reckons the design guru could take advantage of the new rules to bring Aston Martin to the fore.<\/p>\n Asked if we could see a changing of the guard in F1 this season, he told talkSPORT: \u201cYes, you could. We could see a complete surprise.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething like when Jenson Button won with Brawn \u2013 they surprised everyone because they saw through the regulations.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the master of seeing through the regulations is Adrian Newey, who\u2019s gone to Aston Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cHe left Red Bull and Max Verstappen behind and Christian Horner has left that team anyway, but he\u2019s gone off to Aston Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been working on this project now for a good 18 months or so, so we\u2019re sort of expecting him to wave his magic wand over Aston Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cIt could happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Newey officially joined Aston Martin on March 1, 2025 after serving a period of gardening leave with Red Bull.<\/p>\n The Brawn GP team famously won the drivers\u2019 and constructors\u2019 championships in 2009, 12 months after the team \u2013 then competing as Honda \u2013 finished a lowly ninth in the 2008 standings.<\/p>\n Despite the expectations surrounding Aston Martin for 2026, and the team\u2019s obvious long-term potential, Newey himself has moved to play down the hype surrounding the Silverstone-based team.<\/p>\n During his first trackside appearance with Aston Martin at last year\u2019s Monaco Grand Prix, Newey highlighted the team\u2019s simulation tools \u2013 specifically the driver-in-the-loop simulator \u2013 as an area of weakness.<\/p>\n Aston Martin has since taken steps to improve the situation, hiring Newey\u2019s former Red Bull colleague Giles Wood as simulation and vehicle modelling director and bringing in former Ferrari simulations guru Marco Fainello as a consultant.<\/p>\n Despite its success with Red Bull and Max Verstappen over recent years, meanwhile, Honda is technically re-entering Formula 1 in F1 2026 having originally withdrawn at the end of 2021.<\/p>\n Honda\u2019s lost development time and manpower is likely to have come at a cost to the manufacturer\u2019s F1 2026 project.<\/p>\n Koji Watanabe, the president of the Honda Racing Corporation, recently admitted that \u201cnot everything is going well\u201d with the development<\/a> of its F1 2026 engine.<\/p>\n Honda was not named in recent reports that some manufacturers have identified a loophole in the new engine rules related to the compression ratio.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n