Aston Martin has had a start to the season that is well below expectations, with the AMR25 one of the worst cars on the grid, when expectations were that Aston Martin could be fighting for the upper midfield. These results are surprising, especially given Lawrence Stroll‘s heavy investment in building a winning team. Although the goal is to start becoming a major team in 2026, there should already be signs of improvement, but it seems to be quite the opposite.
Why the AMR25 is the worst car
There are many reasons to try to understand Aston Martin’s poor results in 2025 despite the team’s heavy investment. The AMR25 is among the two worst cars on the grid at the start of the season. Aston Martin has invested millions in a new factory and new team personnel, including some big names such as Adrian Newey. Above all, they have invested in a new wind tunnel. All this has been done at a strategic moment for the team, with time to think about 2026 and the new regulations that could change everything.
So many changes at Aston Martin, which should soon bear fruit, have now only delayed the team’s launch, and the AMR25 has been the one to suffer. The change in structure with Andy Cowell, the arrival of Enrico Cardile, which will not be effective until June, the arrival in March of Adrian Newey, the opening of the factory and the opening of the wind tunnel in March. Everything has been very rushed, with no time to develop the AMR25, which has been the most affected.
One of the reasons for the delay in the development of the AMR25 is the wind tunnel. Until March, Aston Martin had to use Mercedes’ wind tunnel, which meant a loss of resources and time for the team, which preferred to save the hours of use (teams are limited) to use its own. This has delayed the car’s development and is a clear example of Aston Martin’s half-hearted approach to the championship, although they did not expect the results to be so disastrous given how last season ended.
Aston Martin can only improve
Now that Aston Martin has managed to put all the pieces together, all that remains is for them to mesh and start working together. The Aston Martin factory is already in full swing, with Adrian Newey working alongside Honda on the 2026 design. The factory’s focus is on this. But there are still two small groups of workers focused on the AMR25. Hopefully, with the new wind tunnel, the first working group will be able to configure the updates for the AMR25. We will see this in two to four weeks’ time: in Miami and Italy, Aston Martin will receive this first package of improvements, which should represent a significant step forward for the team. Once this package of improvements is complete, the team responsible will abandon the AMR25 and join the AMR26 organization chart.
From then on, only one team will remain with the AMR25, with the aim of launching a final package of updates for the middle of the season, the last one. With that, the AMR25 will have to be used until the end of the season, and hopefully it will improve.
Aston Martin has taken significant steps to improve as a team, but these changes have had consequences: delays and having to prioritize objectives, with the AMR25 being the sacrificial lamb. What was not expected was that the result would be so disastrous, but it is believed that, although this is the situation now, the team will meet its objectives starting next year.