2026 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team

[diffuser]

I wonder if Aston Martin is going to use their filming day prior to Hungary. A lot of data to gather before the summer break.

Good question. Hungary is NOT a Sprint race weekend. So that decreases the need for a filming day but it doesn't mean there will not be.

[GoranF1]

I wonder if Aston Martin is going to use their filming day prior to Hungary. A lot of data to gather before the summer break.

I wonder if they will test anything new in Spa free practices?

[etusch]

https://x.com/HondaRacingF1/status/2073 ... 19541?s=20

Honda confirms new engine for Dutch GP so nothing for Spa and Hungary in terms of engine.

It's a natural approach for the engine and chassis to race separately. First, we'll see the effect of the chassis update alone. Then, in the next race, we'll see the new engine and what it brings. Of course, it needs a bit of a math since they're not on the same track. A one-month gap means a slightly longer wait for most awaited one. But it will let HOnda more time to work on the engine, and if, let's say, the parts installed to reduce vibrations are removed or replaced with lighter ones, then perhaps that one-month period before the new engine is installed could be used for marriage optimization, in addition to the usual things. Of course, if there's a work ban, that's a different matter.

[krich]

i think the upgrade is acording to their data much bigger (3-4 seconds?) and they are not sure if that will correlate to track. Newey pointed at monaco last year they would need 6-9 months for calibrating the simulator.

Lets see but their interviews points to that, thats why maybe they are lowering expectations on interviews

[collindsilva]

i think the upgrade is acording to their data much bigger (3-4 seconds?) and they are not sure if that will correlate to track. Newey pointed at monaco last year they would need 6-9 months for calibrating the simulator.

Lets see but their interviews points to that, that's why maybe they are lowering expectations on interviews

After all the fiasco seems reasonable to provide lower expectations, they know that 2.5 seconds is the bare minimum achievable.

[avada]

Horner seems less likely because he want's total control, which apparently why he was sacked from Red Bull.

Right, one of the conditions for Newey joining AMR F1 was that he needed total control. Now that he has it, he's gonna give it Horner? Horner's behavior was one of the reasons Newey left RBR. None of this makes any sense when you loook at. Why would Newey recreate RBR at AMR if he left cause he didn't like it there any more? People just throw any name out.

Talk of Honda is carefully avoided.

"On the chassis side, we're quite a long way overweight. Some of that comes from the PU integration issues with Honda, "

Gone because they added something to manage vibrations, with a weight penalty. It sounds like a workaround, not a fix.

But how can they do that with the same engine? Taking so much weight out of the chassis that it compensates for the weight penalty caused by the integration issues?
Or did they find a way to otherwise deal with the vibration? It will be weird if they they found a solution for this PU, but the vibration comes back after the PU upgrade.

The only way the math works is if the weight they added to resolve the vibration issue was insignificant.
Remember you add weight to your wheels when you remove the vibrations from them, balance them. They put grams on to balance wheels.

It's maths without numbers, since we don't know any of them.
However wheel balancing doesn't seem to be relevant, or even similar. The chassis doesn't spin. The crankshaft and the rotor of the MGU does, and if adding or removing a bit of weight to them, they would have done that ages ago.

[Farnborough]

Horner seems less likely because he want's total control, which apparently why he was sacked from Red Bull.



Talk of Honda is carefully avoided.

"On the chassis side, we're quite a long way overweight. Some of that comes from the PU integration issues with Honda, "

Gone because they added something to manage vibrations, with a weight penalty. It sounds like a workaround, not a fix.

But how can they do that with the same engine? Taking so much weight out of the chassis that it compensates for the weight penalty caused by the integration issues?
Or did they find a way to otherwise deal with the vibration? It will be weird if they they found a solution for this PU, but the vibration comes back after the PU upgrade.

The only way the math works is if the weight they added to resolve the vibration issue was insignificant.
Remember you add weight to your wheels when you remove the vibrations from them, balance them. They put grams on to balance wheels.

It's maths without numbers, since we don't know any of them.
However wheel balancing doesn't seem to be relevant, or even similar. The chassis doesn't spin. The crankshaft and the rotor of the MGU does, and if adding or removing a bit of weight to them, they would have done that ages ago.

That's because it's a rotating weight discrepancy problem, in that a wheel is usually manufactured within fairly good tolerance, but adding a tyre to that wheel brings natural imperfection in rubber/material distribution.
The tyre carcass in general manufacturing is spun and marked the casing with lightest point, that to be aligned with valve equipment, the residual discrepancy is then balanced by adding weight to equalise as its the least invasive method.

In these PU, I'd seriously doubt any of the manufacturers could not adequately "balance" the reciprocating components to ultimately fine degree, meaning that's not the problem.

Honda's statements about combustion form/consistency/repeatability shows what's driving the error by their current inability to accurately model and control that. The fuel/fueling/research around that is where its heading. They've already noted that they'll bring a redesign of combustion chamber in utilising their development toward next level iteration.

[Jambier]

i think the upgrade is acording to their data much bigger (3-4 seconds?) and they are not sure if that will correlate to track. Newey pointed at monaco last year they would need 6-9 months for calibrating the simulator.

Lets see but their interviews points to that, thats why maybe they are lowering expectations on interviews

I'm not that optimistic, it will take time to recover, and Newey said recently that there are a lot of things to change at AM to be a competitive team.

But at least they should be less ridiculous, best case scenario they will only be bad and same level than 2025.
Which needs at least 3s gain

[vas_04614]

Wonder if they will send one upgraded car after zandvoort to japan for integration testing with new engine

[Tommy Cookers]

.... In these PU, I'd seriously doubt any of the manufacturers could not adequately "balance" the reciprocating components to ultimately fine degree, meaning that's not the problem.

there's no type of V-6 in which such a balance can exist ...
(that's why engines with sufficient geometrical symmetries do exist eg inline 6s and V12s)

the unavoidable imbalance is unimportant unless the V-6 is ....
fixed to structures the responses of which add to the vibration(s) forced on them by said V-6

where this addition occurs we call it resonance
there will be no resonance if the structure is in essence rigid relative to all 6 degrees of freedom

[TyreSlip]

I wonder if Aston Martin is going to use their filming day prior to Hungary. A lot of data to gather before the summer break.

I wonder if they will test anything new in Spa free practices?

Doubtful. All the eggs have been placed in the Hungarian and Singaporean baskets.

[TyreSlip]

Wonder if they will send one upgraded car after zandvoort to japan for integration testing with new engine

You mean after Hungary? Zandvoort is when the new engine debuts.

Newey stated that the car upgrades were not dependent on the new Honda iteration.

[FNTC]

Would make sense to test the new chassis with the new PU before launching. Hopefully being done.

[V10FURY]

I hope this B spec is a serious step forward, but we are at round 9 of the championship, and Alonso’s car just died on the way to the grid, on the formation lap. In Q1 the Astons are 1.5 seconds slower than Cadillac now, and 2.4 seconds away from Williams. I think being extremely optimistic, the best the team could hope for is to get close to Williams, if the car doesn’t break down. I am not convinced Aston would go much faster in Q2 or Q3, unlike the other teams either. Now if they can find seconds per lap, without the new Honda power unit, then perhaps they can move further up the grid closer to Audi. Seeing Alonso trundling around 3 laps down, is pretty depressing stuff here. Hopefully Honda has found at least 40 horsepower, better deployment, more powerful recharging, and new batteries to help the team.

[V10FURY]

I hope this B spec is a serious step forward, but we are at round 9 of the championship, and Alonso’s car just died on the way to the grid, on the formation lap. In Q1 the Astons are 1.5 seconds slower than Cadillac now, and 2.4 seconds away from Williams. I think being extremely optimistic, the best the team could hope for is to get close to Williams, if the car doesn’t break down. I am not convinced Aston would go much faster in Q2 or Q3, unlike the other teams either. Now if they can find seconds per lap, without the new Honda power unit, then perhaps they can move further up the grid closer to Audi. Seeing Alonso trundling around 3 laps down, is pretty depressing stuff here. Hopefully Honda has found at least 40 horsepower, better deployment, more powerful recharging, and new batteries to help the team.