According to reports in France, Aston Martin believes Mercedes may be exploiting a gray area in the new engine rules. With Adrian Newey arriving and Honda now on board, the team is preparing for a tense start to the new era.
At Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso's team, they are furious about Mercedes' cheating with its engine for the 2026 Formula 1 season.
According to a report published in L'Equipe, the two-time world champion's team will not sit idly by in the face of the FIA's decision not to impose changes on the German power unit.
This is what was reported: "We know that Aston Martin, now powered by Honda and led by Adrian Newey, is very angry about this engine malice. It is easy to imagine that in Australia, during the opening round (on March 8), one or more teams will file a complaint and disrupt the peaceful start to the season that the discipline had hoped for with a rule change that may be very difficult to explain.
"According to our information, a new measurement system should soon be established, without the calendar being known, in order to measure this compression ratio... under hot conditions.
"Discussions were held during the winter. Between competing engine manufacturers (Red Bull, Audi, Honda, and Ferrari) but also with the regulator," they reported.
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What was said about Adrian Newey's signing with Aston Martin?
Aston Martin officially announced Fernando Alonso's new teammate after many months of rumors about the move.
Lawrence Stroll's team announced at a press conference the signing of Adrian Newey, former head of design at Red Bull Racing, after several weeks of speculation about the signing.
The announcement came during an event at Aston's Silverstone campus, where the Briton was introduced after being released from Red Bull. Lawrence reported that Newey will first join as a shareholder and then as a member of the team for the team's technical chief.
The executive is expected to start work at the end of 2025, with his work taking effect on the Spanish two-time world champion's car for the 2026 season.
Aston will thus have a new ally for the change in Formula 1 regulations, where it hopes Alonso will have his last chance to become world champion again.
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