Fernando Alonso has vowed that Aston Martin will not pull back from Adrian Newey's aggressive design philosophy - as it believes it will unlock more performance.
The AMR26 has struggled so far in 2026 through a lack of power from the Honda engine, but also through chassis problems, including concerns with the gearbox, built in-house for the first time by the team, losing sync at low-speed.
Alonso did manage to score a point in Monaco, but the car proved to be well off the pace in Barcelona, prompting an apology to the fans from chief trackside officer, Mike Krack.
The team has not delivered any major upgrades to the car as yet, with a huge package set to be delivered later in the summer.
Discussing the design philosophy of Newey, the most successful designer in F1 history, Alonso labelled it as "finding the limit" and explained why the team would not turn to a more conventional design in the pursuit of more performance.
"That is always his philosophy, to try to find the limit," Alonso told media, including RacingNews365 of Newey.
"When you find the limit, you go half a step back, and that's the way it is, and that's where we are at the moment.
"There are many different areas in the team that we are pushing the limits, knowing that maybe we could find immediate performance if we go back to a more known place, but we prefer to keep this philosophy in certain areas of the car.
"Because we believe that it will unlock more performance in the near future."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Nick Golding and Samuel Coop as they look ahead to this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix! The discuss if Lewis Hamilton can continue his fine form after entering the title fight and the importance of Red Bull having a strong event at home.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!