Adrian Newey reveals design ethos behind AMR26

Adrian Newey has revealed the design ethos behind his latest Formula One car, the Aston Martin AMR26.

In an exclusive online interview on Aston Martin Undercut, the design genius discussed the philosophy behind his latest creation amidst the most sweeping regulations the sport has seen or many a year.

“We took a really close look at the regulations and what we believe we want to achieve from a flow field perspective to suit them, and from there started to evolve a geometry that attempts to create the flow fields that we want. It’s very much a holistic approach,” said Newey.

“In truth, with a completely new set of regulations, nobody is ever sure what the right philosophy is.”

Adrian Newey arrives in the Paddock during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar on November 28, 2025 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

As reported by Motorsport Technology’s Craig Scarborough in a series of tech exclusives, the 2026 F1 season will be one of intrigue due to the changes of both Power Unit and aerodynamic regulations.

For Newey, the regulation changes naturally represent an exciting new challenge, but one that also represents a step into the unknown for everyone.

“We certainly aren’t sure what the best interpretation of the regulations is and therefore the best philosophy to follow.

“Because of our compressed timescale, we decided on a particular direction and that’s the one we’ve pursued.

“Whether that proves to be the right one or not, only time will tell. But you have to choose your path and get on with it.”

Naturally, within the F1 community, any Adrian Newey design comes with much hype. Much anticipation. And the machine that broke cover in Barcelona certainly raised eyebrows for its perceived aggressive style.

“I never look at any of my designs as aggressive. I just get on with things and pursue what we feel is the right direction.

“The direction we’ve taken could certainly be interpreted as aggressive. It’s got quite a few features that haven’t necessarily been done before.

“Does that make it aggressive? Possibly. Possibly not.”

So what does he make of his new car? Are there any particular favourites?

“That is a question I’m often asked. I honestly don’t have a favourite, ‘Look at that bit, Mum,’ part of the car. To me, the design of a car is about the holistic package.

“There’s no one individual part that’s likely to make the difference. It’s how all those parts come together.

“It’s how they talk to each other to create a car that works in harmony with the driver and performs aerodynamically, mechanically, and in terms of vehicle dynamics.”

Adrian Newey at the pit wall during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar (Photo by Zak Mauger/LAT Images)

And what better driver to exploit that than the vastly experienced double world champion Fernando Alonso. With less than a month left before lights out in Melbourne, how does Newey rate the team’s chances?

“The team put in a huge amount of work to get the car ready. There’s more to come – and lots to learn – but those first couple of days at the track have been important to start building an understanding of how the car behaves and complete those all-important first systems checks before pre-season testing in Bahrain.

“We’ve attempted to build something that we hope will have quite a lot of development potential.

“What you want to try to avoid is a car that comes out quite optimised within its window but lacks a lot of development potential.

“We’ve tried to do the opposite, which is why we’ve really focused on the fundamentals, put our effort into those, knowing that some of the appendages – wings, bodywork, things that can be changed in season – will hopefully have development potential.”