Adrian Newey has teased that the Aston Martin AMR26 will be \u201cvery different\u201d when the Australian Grand Prix kicks off the F1 2026 season in Melbourne next month.<\/p>\n
Aston Martin\u2019s 2026 car caused a stir when it broke cover at last week\u2019s shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.<\/p>\n
Adrian Newey teases significant early Aston Martin AMR26 upgrade<\/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 The AMR26, the first Aston Martin F1 car to be designed by Newey since his high-profile move from Red Bull, was noted for its striking differences compared to other cars of the F1 2026 grid.<\/p>\n As noted by PlanetF1.com tech editor Matt Somerfield<\/a>, the car appears to blend a range of ideas from Newey\u2019s illustrious career.<\/p>\n For example, the car\u2019s wide nose has been likened to the design Newey pursued during Red Bull\u2019s first dominant period with Sebastian Vettel between 2010 and 2013, with the 67-year-old also bringing back the iconic \u2018horns\u2019 used on the McLaren MP4-20<\/a> in 2005.<\/p>\n Go deeper: Adrian Newey and the Aston Martin AMR26<\/p>\n Aston Martin AMR26: What we\u2019re hearing about Adrian Newey\u2019s first Aston Martin<\/a><\/p>\n Why Adrian Newey\u2019s private Alonso talks are so important for Aston Martin<\/a><\/p>\n The AMR26 also caught the attention of Mercedes driver George Russell<\/a>, who conceded that the Aston Martin was \u201cprobably the most standout\u201d in terms of design.<\/p>\n Russell also highlighted the car\u2019s rear suspension as \u201cvery impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview with the official website of the Aston Martin F1 team<\/a>, Newey has teased that the team will introduce a major upgrade package before the start of the season in Melbourne on March 8.<\/p>\n \u201cThe AMR26 that races in Melbourne is going to be very different to the one people saw at the Barcelona shakedown,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the AMR26 that we finish the season with in Abu Dhabi is going to be very different to the one that we start the season with.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very important to keep an open mind [with development].\u201d<\/p>\n Newey wrote in his 2017 book, How To Build A Car, that he approaches a new set of regulations with two key principles in mind.<\/p>\n One is to find solutions that rival teams will struggle to copy, with the other being to ensure that the car has long-term development potential over the course of a given rules cycle.<\/p>\n Newey went on to admit that long-term development has been a factor in his design of the AMR26.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve attempted to build something that we hope will have quite a lot of development potential,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you want to try to avoid is a car that comes out quite optimised within its window but lacks a lot of development potential.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve tried to do the opposite, which is why we\u2019ve really focused on the fundamentals, put our effort into those, knowing that some of the appendages \u2013 wings, bodywork, things that can be changed in season \u2013 will hopefully have development potential.\u201d<\/p>\n Most teams are expected to make significant tweaks to their cars between the Barcelona shakedown and the Australian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed over the winter break that the Scuderia will effectively introduce a B-spec car<\/a> at some stage during the final two pre-season tests in Bahrain later this month.<\/p>\n In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com<\/a> at the end of last season, meanwhile, Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane said the team will make a \u201csignificant update\u201d to the VCARB03 car before the first race of F1 2026.<\/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