Aston Martin make rational car changes ahead of crucial Newey arrival

Aston Martin's new challenger for the 2025 Formula 1 season – the AMR25 – represents the team's hope to return to a higher level of performance, compared to 2023 rather than last year.

Returning to its 2023 form which saw the outfit claim eight podiums is a huge task, given that the new car has coincided with a profound restructuring and expansion of Aston Martin's technical department. 

The team has new senior technical figures, including new technical director Enrico Cardile who has joined from Ferrari.

Looking at the first images of the AMR25, it is clear that it is an evolution of last year's car, in terms of both the suspension and Mercedes transmission.

However, an interesting change is Aston Martin's decision to modify the packaging of the car's radiators to the engine hood. This has given the aerodynamicists more margin to determine the profile of the sidepods.

As a result, there is a profound evolution of last season's sidepods, characterised by both a huge upper lip that overlooks the air inlet and a particularly hollowed out lower profile. 

Whilst not as deep as on the AMR24, the upper part of the 2025 car's sidepods feature a straight profile with a large upper recess.

At first glance, the floor of the AMR25 appears to be very similar to last season's but does feature a different lateral edge with adjusted slits.

When looking at the entire car, the general impression at first sight is that of a very rational project without any radical changes. This is due to the transition process the British outfit went through last year.

It is clear that excessive energy has not been spent on Aston Martin's final car of the current regulations, with one-eye already on next year and becoming a Honda works team. 

In addition, the outfit's car for 2026 will have heavy involvement by Adrian Newey, who officially joins Aston Martin on March 3 as its new managing technical partner.

Overall, the AMR25 is a car designed based on understanding the faults of last year's challenger, which should result in better and more consistent performances.