Aston Martin’s New Formula 1 Car Hits the Track for Testing

Aston Martin’s factory Formula 1 team has unveiled its car for the 2026 season, which gets underway in just a month and a half in Australia. This year, the British team’s green machine is drawing enormous attention—and for several reasons at once.

A new chapter begins for Aston Martin in Formula 1 in 2026. The British automaker has switched from customer Mercedes power units to full works Honda engines, gaining complete factory backing and the status of Honda’s exclusive partner. Previously, the Japanese manufacturer worked with Red Bull Racing. Meanwhile, the AMR26 chassis was designed by Adrian Newey—the man whose cars have won around 300 races and more than 20 world championships since the early 1990s.

The AMR26 made its on-track debut late the previous evening, at the very end of the fourth day of testing in Barcelona, Spain. The car was shipped from the team’s Silverstone base early Thursday morning, with mechanics assembling it throughout the day. That evening, the car completed a few installation laps, and by Friday morning Aston Martin had begun full-scale testing.

Racing for Aston Martin in 2026 will be two-time world champion—and the oldest driver on the grid—44-year-old Fernando Alonso, alongside 27-year-old Canadian Lance Stroll. Last season, they finished 10th and 16th in the drivers’ standings, respectively, while Aston Martin placed seventh out of ten teams in the Constructors’ Championship.

Aston Martin has competed in Formula 1 since 2021. So far, the brand’s most successful campaign remains the 2023 season, when Alonso scored eight podium finishes and ended the year fourth in the drivers’ championship, while the team finished fifth in the Constructors’ standings.

Can Aston Martin make a breakthrough with a car designed by the legendary Newey and factory Honda power? The first answer will come at the Formula 1 race in Melbourne, set to take place on March 8.