Mar.25 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has revealed he has been in contact with Adrian Newey – and says his former colleague is struggling amid Aston Martin’s troubled start to 2026.
“I’ve been in contact with him,” the now-retired Red Bull advisor Marko told Osterreich.
“He’s not doing well. There are problems with this project that won’t be solved quickly.”
The comments come amid Aston Martin’s horrendous Honda-powered debut season continues, with performance, reliability and management all under scrutiny.
Newey is already stepping back from his unfamiliar team principal responsibilities to focus on technical leadership, while efforts to bring in a more traditional figure – including Jonathan Wheatley – remain complicated by contractual issues such as a lengthy gardening leave.
Honda, meanwhile, arrives at its home race in Suzuka under pressure to show progress after a vibration-related crisis that has affected both performance and reliability.
Chief engineer Shintaro Orihara confirmed some progress has been made – but not enough.
“In China, we made some progress in battery reliability by reducing vibrations affecting the systems, but we need to find more solutions to determine the cause,” he said.
“We also focused our efforts during the break between China and Japan to continue improving our reliability, but our performance indicators are still not where we want to be, particularly in terms of energy management.”
Orihara admitted expectations for Suzuka remain modest.
“We’re not where we’d like to be this weekend, but we’ll continue to work hard to maximise our potential,” he said.
The April break, triggered by the cancellation of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, is seen internally as both a challenge and an opportunity.
“The break has two sides,” said Aston Martin’s Mike Krack.
“Putting in miles is important, but not testing allows you to concentrate on factory work without the pressure of the schedule.”
Behind the scenes, there are even suggestions some teams are pushing for additional testing allowances to accelerate development.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso’s former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa believes 2026 could be one of the Spaniard’s toughest ever seasons.
“Unfortunately, this will most likely be one of Fernando’s worst years,” he told Jugones.
“He needs a lot of patience now, but that’s not so easy at 44.”
Former Haas team boss Gunther Steiner agrees the situation could have consequences for Alonso. “If he doesn’t see real progress, he’ll quit after the season ends,” he told RTL.
“That certainly won’t be fun. It’s the worst year since he arrived.”
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