Most Formula 1 fans do not believe that Aston Martin will challenge for the world championships in 2026, despite Adrian Newey's radical design.
When the AMR26 was finally unveiled on Thursday during the Barcelona shakedown, the car proved to be eye-catching with its sidepod and rear suspension solutions in particular catching attention.
Aston has invested heavily for the 2026 regulations with a brand-new factory, but Newey, serving as the team principal, has said the team is effectively four months behind its rivals after he started on the project in April 2025 following his arrival.
The other 10 teams all began their development on January 1st, 2025 once the testing ban was lifted.
Despite this, according to the results of a RacingNews365 poll, most F1 fans believe that although the team will be in the winners' circle, a title challenge is out of reach.
A total of 46.61% of those who voted believe the team will challenge for occasional podiums and race wins, beating the 24.03% of voters who do believe that a title challenge is possible for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
It should be pointed out that the top result did not achieve an outright majority of votes of 50%.
Check out the full results below!
Where will Aston Martin place in the F1 pecking order this year?
| Option | Vote |
|---|---|
| They will challenge for ocassional podiums and race wins | 46.61% |
| They will challenge for the title | 24.03% |
| They will be at the high end of the midfield | 22.84% |
| They will be at the low end of the midfield | 5.04% |
| They will be competing at the back of the grid | 1.48% |
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes and Nick Golding, as they look back on last week's five-day F1 test in Barcelona. McLaren's upgrade strategy is discussed, as is Aston Martin grabbing much attention with its striking AMR26.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
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