Aston Martin facing deeply worrying situation after Bahrain body blow

There was considerable anticipation ahead of the arrival of the first Aston Martin, the AMR26, designed under the direction of Adrian Newey.

Fans around the world would have been hoping for a miracle creation from the legendary designer, but after the shakedown in Barcelona, the first test in Bahrain showed even more clearly that hopes and expectations were greatly exaggerated.

Although the number of laps completed improved at the Bahrain test after the struggles in Barcelona, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were consistently at the bottom of the field in terms of lap times.

This is naturally disappointing, even considering that performance is not the most important factor at this stage. At the end of Thursday's test day, Stroll laid Aston's problems bare, pointedly stating they were "currently four to four and a half seconds" behind the leaders.

By the end of the test, the opinion in the paddock was that Aston Martin was on course to start the season at the back of the field.

For now, the only thing that is certain is that the situation is deeply worrying: during the three days of testing, the paddock was full of rumours about the team, with talk of internal tensions and serious conflicts.

According to some sources, owner Lawrence Stroll voiced his anger at one stage, and is pushing for a quick resolution to the situation, while others say that the first serious dispute with engine supplier Honda has already taken place.

A mountain of difficulties

Looking at Aston Martin's situation realistically, it is clear that the hype generated by public opinion greatly distorted the actual situation.

Newey has clearly had a significant impact on the car's design in the short time he has had at his disposal, but despite a host of special solutions, it is still far from ideal, and there are plenty of other factors causing headaches for the team.

One of these is Honda: sources with a good overview of the situation told RacingNews365 that the Japanese manufacturer has fallen behind in developing the new power unit, and that, due to cultural differences, the synergy between the parties cannot be considered optimal at this stage.

Adding to the challenge is that the team is using a gearbox developed in-house for the first time, which increases the complexity of the task, while problems have also arisen due to the compact design of the cooling system.

When so many issues arise at once, it is particularly useful to have a well-established, experienced team to handle the situation, but this is not the case at Aston Martin.

In the latest twist in the ongoing leadership changes, Newey took over as team principal last November, and in the months leading up to his appointment, he carried out significant reorganisations behind the scenes as managing technical partner, which included the arrival of a whole host of new specialists. It will take time for the new system to come together.

There was no doubt, however, that all in Aston have Newey's back. They are certain he is the man to turn so much hope and promise into a competitive machine. Just not yet.

The PR line was that, for Aston, it is not about how the team starts the season in Australia, but how it ends it in Abu Dhabi, and the progress made in between.

The big question is how compatible this is with the interests of owners and investors who are eager to finally see a long-overdue return on the staggering investment made in the team.

Greater success will certainly require more time. According to RacingNews365's sources in Bahrain, the earliest we can expect meaningful results from the current package is in the second half of the season.

Time that is not available...

Newey and his team are working flat out on optimising the package and on further new developments: some of these are likely to be used in the second Bahrain test next week, while further changes and improvements are being prepared for the season opener in Melbourne.

According to chief trackside officer Mike Krack, the package has potential, so they are now drawing up a "priority list" and will try to catch up based on that.

"Now we have to set priorities and decide what we need to do first," he said, speaking to the media, including RacingNews365, at the conclusion of the test

"There's not much time left before next week. We have to accept that, but then I think we'll put together a proper priority list, start working through it, and be in a better position next week."

For two-time world champion Alonso, it is a "now or never" season, and although it has not started as he would have hoped, the Spaniard tried to sound optimistic.

According to Alonso, there is no doubt about catching up quickly on the chassis side, but he considers the engine a more complex area.

"Hopefully, the second half of the season will be different, especially in our case, because even if we start slowly, we can improve, and we'll see," he said, before highlighting what is possible.

"McLaren also fell behind here in Bahrain in 2023, but they went on to win races later on, so I don't know, it's a complex sport."