Development Significant changes to the technical regulations were introduced for 2026, affecting both the chassis and engine. Therefore, the AMR26 features significant changes from its predecessor, the
AMR25.
Engine The AMR26 is powered by the
Honda RA626H power unit, being the first Aston Martin car to be powered by Honda, who returns to a fully fledged capacity from 2026 onwards and is the first Silverstone-based Formula One car to utilise a Japanese-licensed engine since customer
Toyota-powered
Midland M16 in season (including the
Jordan era from 2005) as well as Honda full-works engine since
Jordan EJ12 in season. It is also the first to be developed by
Adrian Newey and
Enrico Cardile following their departure from
Red Bull Racing and
Ferrari, respectively. The Aston Martin AMR26 is also the first
Formula One car to utilise full-scale
Honda engines since the
Red Bull Racing RB16B and
Scuderia AlphaTauri AT02 in the season, also the first Silverstone-based car to utilise an engine supplier other than Mercedes since the
Ferrari-powered
Force India VJM01 in the season and also the first-Honda powered Formula One car to utilize a fuel and lubricant supplier other than
ExxonMobil since the
McLaren MCL32 in the season when it used
BP fuel and
Castrol lubricant products due to Aston Martin's existing partnerships with
Aramco and
Valvoline. The AMR26, and by extension the RA626H, debuted on track at a private pre-season shakedown at
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 27 January.
Development deficits During the shakedown and subsequent test at
Bahrain International Circuit, the Honda engine showcased numerous deficits; not only did the team observe lower mileage than other teams, but the team recorded three breakdowns over all the tests, and during the latter test, its recorded fastest time was four seconds slower than rival power units. Honda confirmed that vibrations in the engine were damaging the battery system. The poor performance and unreliability of the Honda engine was so noticeable that Honda used up most of their spare parts during the Bahrain test alone, leaving them unprepared for the
2026 Australian Grand Prix to the point that they considered skipping the round by qualifying within the
107% rule and retiring early to conserve parts. Furthermore, Honda admitted that the engine vibrations were strong enough that driving the car for an extended period of time could cause nerve damage. The vibrations also disallowed Honda from running the car at its full potential. For the Australian Grand Prix, the team was considering a run limit of 25 laps before retiring both cars. While Stroll was able to participate in the first practice, power unit issues forced Alonso out of participating. Stroll completed three laps before suffering similar issues. Due to these issues, the team used up all of their spare battery supplies, with the remaining two batteries left running in the cars themselves. Stroll was forced out of third practice due to an ICE issue. Despite a great start, passing seven cars on the first half of the opening lap, Alonso failed to finish the race after suffering an engine issue, but became the first driver to be sent back out into the race after retiring since
Sergio Pérez in the
2023 Japanese Grand Prix, before then retiring for a second time. Stroll was also sent back into the race after retiring, and was able to finish but was not classified, finishing 15 laps down. A similar thing was observed at the
Chinese Grand Prix, with Alonso retiring due to the vibrations. The vibrations were reportedly resolved by the
2026 Japanese Grand Prix, Honda's home race, after Aston Martin tested a part on the Friday practice sessions that attempted to mitigate the issue. Alonso finished the race in 18th, marking Aston Martin's first finish of the year.
Livery The livery was revealed during a live event on 9 February 2026. While similar to its predecessor, the AMR26 featured a satin finish compared to the traditional metallic finish, as well as featuring a darker airbox and light blue rear wing. == Complete Formula One results ==