Aston Martin unprepared for Newey’s methods, Horner says
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 16, 2026
Horner on Newey
Christian Horner said Adrian Newey’s early months at Aston Martin mirror the start of his Red Bull tenure, when the team had to adapt to the designer’s way of working instead of expecting him to fit an established system. Horner said there was pushback at Red Bull at first, too, and he made clear to the old guard that Newey would shape the operation. He said he chose to build Red Bull around Newey’s methods rather than force Newey into existing processes, and he tied that approach to the run of success that followed, six Constructors’ championships and eight Drivers’ championships. Horner’s view is simple. The best way to maximize Newey is to build around his ideas, not around internal habits that were already in place. He said Aston Martin was not ready for the working methods that helped make Newey successful at Red Bull, and he argued the team needs an organization that can turn those ideas into competitive machinery, not just a faster car. Horner said Newey is now shaping Aston Martin to work the way he wants, the same way he eventually shaped Red Bull.
Aston Martin’s problems
Horner’s comments landed against a difficult opening stretch for Aston Martin, which he said had taken on Newey during a rough start to the season. He pointed to chassis issues and said the team’s Honda power unit concept had not matched its rivals. The results have reflected that reality. Aston Martin showed only limited improvement at the Bahrain Grand Prix, even if Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both reached Q2. The broader picture has been just as tough. Aston Martin had scored seven points after 17 rounds, a return that underlines how far the team still has to go before it can fight at the front on a regular basis. The team also said development of the AMR26 was hurt because the car model did not reach the wind tunnel until months after its rivals. That delay matters in a category where small gains shape the pecking order and where early development choices can define an entire project. Horner’s point was not that Aston Martin lacks talent. It was that Newey arrived in the middle of structural problems that were already holding the team back.
Clear on progress
Jock Clear offered a more patient read on where Aston Martin stands. He said the team had a difficult first season but also said the raw ingredients are in place. Clear expects Newey and Aston Martin to make progress over the next few years, and he framed the situation by pointing back to Red Bull’s own rise under Newey. In Clear’s view, Red Bull did not get its first win until Newey’s fourth full season there, a reminder that even the most successful design operation needs time before the results catch up to the ideas. That comparison gives Aston Martin a road map and a warning. The road map is patience, because the team still has to build the structures that let Newey’s concepts translate into performance. The warning is that the current gap will not close on reputation alone. Newey has already said the problems seen with the current car will not be repeated going forward, which leaves Aston Martin with a clear task. It must absorb his methods, correct the weaknesses that have slowed the program and turn a difficult start into the kind of long-term progress that Clear believes is possible.
