Montoya: "It is difficult to read Newey and Aston Martin"

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Montoya: "It is difficult to read Newey and Aston Martin"

Published on 19 Feb 2026 15:58
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By: Bob Plaizier

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes that Aston Martin and their star designer Adrian Newey are hiding their true potential ahead of the 2026 season. Despite a seemingly sluggish start in winter testing, Montoya suspects the team is deliberately holding back a "game-changing" package for the season opener in Melbourne.

The Newey factor: A tactical delay?

The AMR26 is the first car developed entirely under Newey’s leadership and marks the beginning of the team's exclusive partnership with Honda. While the car has not topped the timesheets in Bahrain or Barcelona, Montoya warns against dismissing them. He noted that the Aston Martin concept looks visibly different from its rivals, which could indicate they have discovered a unique aerodynamic path.

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"Knowing Adrian, he will wait until the last moment," Montoya said, suggesting that Newey rarely shows a definitive aerodynamic package during testing. He described Newey as a "pessimist" who is never satisfied with his own designs, a trait that often results in dominant machinery once the racing begins in earnest.

Reliability remains the biggest question

While speed can be disguised, reliability is harder to hide. Montoya pointed out that while Mercedes and Ferrari have covered thousands of test kilometers, teams like Audi and Aston Martin have been more limited in their running. The challenge of being a factory team with only one partner—as is the case for both Aston Martin with Honda and Audi—is a significant hurdle.

Montoya believes the true test for Aston Martin will not be their outright pace, but whether their new power unit and gearbox can survive a full race distance. As long as they don't have to dial back the engine's power for the sake of survival, Montoya expects Newey's tactical "hiding" to culminate in a major surprise when the lights go out in Australia.

F1 News Juan Pablo Montoya Aston Martin