Aston Martin is in a tough spot: a rough start to 2025 has led to a risky solution that puts not only 2025 but also 2026 on the line. The British team is bringing improvements to this weekend’s Imola Grand Prix, but these are not exclusive to the AMR25; they are parts designed for next season’s car, and the results could determine the team’s roadmap for the coming months.
Improvement package for Aston Martin
Aston Martin is bringing improvements for the next three races of the F1 World Championship, which will be held consecutively in Imola (this weekend), Monaco, and Barcelona. Three of them are already ready: the flat floor of the AMR25, the ground effect, and a new diffuser. The only question the team has is whether to save one of these updates for the Monaco Grand Prix, as introducing all three at once could make it difficult to gather data over the weekend and could prevent the AMR25 from performing at its best. If Aston Martin decides to incorporate all three updates at once, everything will remain the same for Monaco, but if they don’t introduce them all at once, they will save one change for the next race.
And in Barcelona there will be a new update, a new front wing, given that the FIA introduced a last-minute change to the regulations at the beginning of the year, but delayed its implementation for this race due to the short time frame it gave the teams to make the change. This new wing completely changes the concept to date, and Aston Martin hopes to get it right in order to move up from the back of the grid.
Aston Martin’s gamble
Aston Martin has a lot at stake with these updates for this season, but also for 2026. It is important for the team that these parts work properly, as it would represent a step forward for the AMR25 for the rest of the season, but it would also pave the way for 2026 with the rule change, as it would mean that they are working in the right direction. If the updates don’t work, the AMR25 would be almost doomed and we would continue to see Fernando Alonso struggling with the car to keep it as far back as possible. And looking ahead to 2026, the road would become more complicated, as it would prove that the work done to date has not paid off, which would mean starting over for Aston Martin, further reducing the time margins for next season.
Confidence in Aston Martin
Aston Martin has kept a lot under wraps during these first few months of the championship. First, they said that Adrian Newey was only focused on the AMR26, but he himself has acknowledged that he is collaborating with the group dedicated to the AMR25. On the other hand, they have been pessimistic about the updates. But the truth is that the team is treading carefully: they don’t want to raise expectations and want to wait for the asphalt to speak for itself. But the truth is that there is optimism within the team. This weekend’s updates are the first of the new era for Aston Martin, with its factory operating at 100%, its own wind tunnel up and running, and Adrian Newey at the helm. They are afraid of making mistakes, they are cautious, but within the factory there is optimism and excitement for this weekend.
Aston Martin has a lot at stake this weekend, as well as the next two. The future of the team depends on the results, and they hope they have got it right. It will be a relief for this campaign and for next season.