The marquee partnership that was supposed to redefine the Formula 1 hierarchy has instead triggered immediate scrutiny. Former Brabham driver turned F1 analyst Marc Surer has openly questioned the decision-making of design legend Adrian Newey following Aston Martin’s disastrous, uncompetitive start to the 2026 season.
Newey finally joined Aston Martin after a shortened period of gardening leave from Red Bull in March 2025. The Silverstone team had moved into its state-of-the-art facilities with a new wind tunnel and simulator, yet all was not well, as Newey explained.
“I think it is fair to say that some of our tools are weak, particularly the driver-in-the-loop simulator. It needs a lot of work because it’s not correlating at all at the moment, which is a fundamental research tool. Not having that is a limitation.
“But we’ve just got to work around it in the meantime and then sort out a plan to get it to where it needs to be. But that’s probably a two-year project in truth,” said the newly appointed technical managing partner at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix.
Correlation issues are an F1 engineer’s worst nightmare. It means the data being produced by Aston Martin’s multi-million-dollar wind tunnel and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) systems does not match the actual aerodynamic behaviour of the car on the asphalt.
Historically, Newey’s greatest superpower has been his ability to ignore flawed simulation data and rely on his unmatched intuitive understanding of fluid dynamics. However, with the complex 2026 active aerodynamics and hybrid profiles, fixing a foundational correlation partway through its design and testing process was akin to trying to rebuild an airplane while it’s flying.
The Sakura Discovery: A Skeleton Crew and Ghost Data
Yet worse was to come for the fabled F1 car design guru. In November, he and then-team boss Andy Cowell decided to visit their new engine partner Honda at their base in Sakura, Japan. What they discovered was jaw-dropping. With the F1 engine regulations having been frozen from 2022 to the start of the 2026 season, engineers had left and only a skeleton team remained.
Whilst having done some recruitment, Honda were short on staff and expertise given those who had left were the creative geniuses—many of whom are now at Red Bull Powertrains. The programme was behind schedule and the final specification had not yet been signed off for extensive dyno testing.
Such was the impending disaster, Andy Cowell stepped down from his role as team principal to focus on helping out Honda, whilst Newey stepped into the team boss role claiming it would not be a distraction. Speaking to Total Motorsport, Marc Surer expressed sheer disbelief at the timeline of the partnership, highlighting a glaring oversight in Newey’s approach to the team’s transition.
Despite Honda’s highly anticipated works engine being the foundational pillar of Aston Martin’s championship ambitions, Newey remarkably did not visit the Japanese manufacturer’s research and development facilities until November 2025, almost nine months after joining Aston Martin.
When Honda previously conquered the grid alongside Red Bull, a massive portion of their elite trackside engineering knowledge and intellectual property remained anchored in Milton Keynes under the Red Bull Powertrains banner. As a result, Honda was forced to rebuild its 2026 regulatory project with a largely fresh, unproven group of engineers—a deficit that is now painfully apparent on track.
Volatility on the Asphalt
By the time Newey and billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll finally stepped foot inside the Honda factory in late 2025, alarm bells were already ringing regarding the raw performance metrics of the new power unit. Those simulation anxieties quickly manifested as real-world nightmares once the cars hit the track.
The opening phase of the 2026 calendar has seen Aston Martin completely paralysed by:
-
Severe power unit reliability failures that have truncated vital practice sessions.
-
Violent engine vibration issues that have severely compromised aerodynamic efficiency and driver confidence.
-
A chronic lack of raw deployment power, leaving them defenceless on the straights.
The Reality Check: Aston Martin only managed to scrape its very first world championship point of the entire 2026 season at the Monaco Grand Prix. Even then, it required an external miracle: Fernando Alonso was a backmarker for most of the afternoon and was only promoted to 10th place long after the chequered flag fell, courtesy of a post-race penalty handed to Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
That solitary, inherited point has done absolutely nothing to mask the monumental technical crisis unfolding between Silverstone and Sakura. With Newey’s late intervention failing to steady the ship, Aston Martin’s highly publicised bid for global dominance is rapidly transforming into a multi-million-dollar cautionary tale.
Surer’s Verdict: “Something Went Completely Wrong”
Marc Surer did not mince words when dissecting Newey’s handling of the crisis:
“I was surprised by what happened when I heard Newey saying he went in November to see Honda,” says Surer. “I mean, what kind of a technical director is that, not taking care of these things before, when he started his job?
“That would be the first thing to do—to talk to these people and see what’s going on, and he has known the Honda people for so many years. So something went completely wrong there, and now they have to repair the whole thing.
“As I hear, at least, they found a reason for the vibration, or they could have found something against it. This would help because if they start driving correctly, they can improve the car. We will see a big development during the season, I’m sure, because Adrian Newey is good.
“But maybe he’s not the quickest designer. If you look back with Red Bull, it took quite a long time until he started winning, but when he did, he did it impressively. So I think maybe he needs more time than we expected with Aston Martin.”
Would you like to see more TJ13 Formula 1 coverage? Add us to your favourites list on Google to receive trusted F1 news.
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
