Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Adrian Newey is expected to return to Aston Martin’s garage for the Monaco Grand Prix after weeks out of sight, offering the team a timely lift as its troubled 2026 Honda project comes under heavier pressure.
Several Spanish media outlets have reported that Newey should be in Monaco this weekend, although Aston Martin has not officially confirmed his attendance. His reappearance would end a notably quiet spell, with the British designer having only been seen in the paddock this season during winter testing and at the opening round in Melbourne.
That absence has drawn more attention because Aston Martin’s Honda-powered AMR26 has opened the year with both performance and reliability problems. After the early optimism around the project, the team has instead started the season on the back foot, leaving Newey’s exact influence and the pace of the rebuild under scrutiny.
Franz Tost, the former Toro Rosso team principal, said on the “15 Love – Der Business” podcast that Newey was brought into the Aston Martin project too late to shape it quickly. Tost said he believes Newey did not begin work before April last year, which for “a project of this scale is far from ideal.” He added that “there is still a lot to improve.”
Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa tried to steady those doubts while acknowledging the scale of the current struggle. Speaking at a Barcelona media event, de la Rosa said, “It will be a difficult Grand Prix, you have already seen how the season has started, but I must say we benefit from very significant investment behind this project.” He compared Newey to Antoni Gaudí, adding: “We have our own Gaudí in F1: Adrian Newey.”
De la Rosa made clear the team is not expecting an instant turnaround. He said Aston Martin has “a spectacular project for the future,” built on strong people and strong tools, but that “we simply need a bit of patience.” He added that “little by little, during the summer, we will begin to show our potential.”
Tost also argued that the larger issue sits with Honda’s side of the package. He said the Japanese manufacturer’s first design under the new rules has not worked as expected, but expressed confidence that the problems will be fixed, saying Honda will resolve them by next year at the latest.
That leaves Monaco as a useful signal rather than a solution. Tost said he remains convinced Newey can still deliver for Aston Martin in the longer term, but only on a different timeline, saying that if his health allows it, “he will be able to design a competitive car for 2027.”