Aston Martin has struggled this season. The Silverstone-based team are yet to score a podium this term and is lacking in points. They currently sit fifth in the constructors championship but are far from fourth-placed Mercedes.
In contrast, Aston Martin scored eight podiums last season and only lost out to fourth in the constructors by 22 points to McLaren. At this point last season, Aston had scored 236 points, compared to a measly 84 this time round. The AMR24 has not been as good as its predecessor and the team is looking to go back to the 2023 version.
Aston Martin will go back to the 2023 car concept for next season
With Fernando Alonso sitting in ninth place and Lance Stroll down in thirteenth, this season has not gone the way Aston Martin expected. Compared to last season with Alonso being edged out to fourth and Stroll tenth, they have taken a step backwards this year.
The AMR23 was designed for ‘low-speed’ as Alonso showed with second place in Monaco. The car was able to get on top of the Pirelli tyres and found a good operating window for the drivers to push. However, once the first set of upgrades arrived at the Canadian Grand Prix, the car faded back from the top teams.
The car had defects in ‘high-speed’ corners so Aston Martin tried creating a fix to that for their 2024 car. The 2024 cars have favoured developing towards ‘low-speed’. They used the ‘flexi wing’ to balance the car in the faster corners. Aston Martin has not been able to find the balance despite several updates to fix the issue.
BREAKING: Dan Fallows steps down from position as Technical Director at Aston Martin F1 team but will remain within the group 🚨 pic.twitter.com/58YjeqiOMb
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 12, 2024
These issues lead to Dan Fallows stepping down as technical director. The team will look to revert back to the 2023 car which promised so much. They hope to leap back up the grid and challenge the top teams once more in 2025.
Reasons for Aston Martin to be optimistic for 2026
The 2026 season could be where Aston Martin shines. With the new regulations coming in, the season could be anyone’s game. The Silverstone-based team has heavily invested in its infrastructure and is expected to have high-level wind tunnels and CFD systems in time for the 2026 season.
They have also recruited well. Enrico Cardille has been prized away from Ferrari which is seen as a big scalp. The biggest however is Adrian Newey. Newey is the man who created concepts for the Red Bull domination periods. He created cars which were unbeatable at times. He also designed the McLaren which saw Mika Häkkinen defeat Michael Schumacher in 1998 and 1999.
Aston Martin will also have exclusivity of the Honda power unit in 2026, meaning the Japanese engine provider can concentrate on just one team. With all this in mind and no one knowing who will be top of the pile after the regulation change, the 2026 season could be exciting for Aston Martin.
