The British team is working against the clock to reverse its bad start, the B version of the car was planned for the British GP, but could be delayed to Belgium. Honda will not have a competitive engine until 2027.
Aston Martin is living its worst moment since the project was relaunched, so far in the 2026 season, the British team has only managed to finish one race (Fernando Alonso's in Japan) and has a deficit of between three and four seconds per lap compared to the leaders, currently, it occupies last place on the grid, even behind Cadillac, the debutant team.
The causes are multiple: on one hand, the power unit supplied by Honda suffers from a lack of reliability and power, and on the other, the AMR26 chassis is overweight by at least 10 kilograms and shows very poor performance in medium and high speed corners. Added to this are the vibrations generated by the engine, which affect the car's overall behavior.
Faced with this scenario, Aston Martin and Honda are working intensively at their respective bases to present a solution as soon as possible, according to what Martin Brundle and David Croft revealed on the Sky Sports podcast, the team is preparing a B version of the AMR26.
David Croft, Formula 1 commentator for the British network, explained the timelines: "I said that at Silverstone they would have an AMR26 B, but it's more likely to be at Spa" he pointed out. The British Grand Prix is scheduled for July at the Silverstone circuit, located next to the team's headquarters, the Spa Francorchamps round would take place approximately fifteen days later.
However, expectations of improvement must be tempered, Croft anticipated that Honda will not have a truly competitive engine until 2027: "A power unit that will need a lot of work and adjustments, and that will probably come back improved after the Christmas holidays" he stated.
In the meantime, Aston Martin will have to survive with its current specification: "They are going to have problems throughout the season until the chassis can house the power unit and it stops vibrating so much" Croft added. The analyst was also skeptical about the chances of scoring points in the short term: "At this moment, no, unless 12 other cars retire" he stated.
Martin Brundle, former driver and Sky Sports commentator, was equally blunt about the overall outlook: "They have to put the right people in Honda, give them the right direction, the situation is not going to improve until 2027. It's a sorry spectacle" he declared.
Aston Martin has confirmed that it is working on upgrades, but the road back to the midfield will be long, the B version of the AMR26, whether at Silverstone or Spa, is just the first step in a process that will extend, at a minimum, until next season.