Aston Martin F1 Admits Wind Tunnel Growing Pains

Despite big names and big money, Aston Martin battles tech troubles—putting all hopes on a reset with 2026’s rule revolution.

Despite heavy investment, the presence of Adrian Newey, and swirling rumors around Max Verstappen, Aston Martin F1 is struggling to keep pace.

In Saudi Arabia, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso didn’t mince words—calling Aston Martin “probably the last team on the grid” after yet another point-less weekend in 2025. He sounded frustrated and exhausted.

Behind the scenes, though, the team is shifting focus. While Newey joined recently and has been working behind closed doors, Aston Martin has effectively stopped developing the current car.

Why? It turns out the team’s brand-new wind tunnel isn’t yet delivering reliable results.

Team Principal Andy Cowell confirmed it: “Last year, we struggled to align what our wind tunnel and tools predicted would be faster, with what actually worked on track.”

That mismatch—what engineers call “correlation problems”—has left Aston Martin falling behind. “We’ve got amazing facilities now,” Cowell said. “But we’re still learning how to use them properly.”

So why give up on 2025 already?

“We still have 20 races to go,” Cowell explained, “but the big regulation change is in 2026. That’s where we’re putting our energy. It’s a five-year opportunity—we need to get it right from the start.”

Could they squeeze more out of the 2025 car? “Yes. But would it win races? No. We’d learn a bit, but it wouldn’t justify delaying our 2026 project. We’d be starting behind and playing catch-up for years.”

Cowell added that he, Lawrence Stroll, and Adrian Newey have had deep discussions about strategy. With limited time for wind tunnel and CFD testing, the team is doubling down on smart, data-driven decisions—no panicking.

Newey’s Quiet Focus

Alonso recently noted that Newey hadn’t yet brought any “big ideas” for the 2025 car. But that’s not a surprise—he’s not working on it.

“Adrian’s fully focused on 2026,” Cowell confirmed. “He’s at his desk, sketching constantly. He doesn’t do meetings or emails—just designs. And we all support that.”

Cowell acknowledged that the team’s new facilities aren’t perfect yet, but called it natural teething issues. “Adrian really likes the campus. He’s impressed with the wind tunnel layout and pushing us to improve how we use it.”

Newey officially joined in March, giving him time to get up to speed with the new rules and ongoing design efforts.

And with 2026 cars hitting the track earlier than usual—testing starts in January—development deadlines are tighter than ever. “Everything’s new,” Cowell said. “There’s no carry-over. It’s a huge job—and Adrian is 100% locked in.”

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Aston Martin F1 Admits Wind Tunnel Growing Pains
Aston Martin F1 Admits Wind Tunnel Growing Pains