Aston Martin revealed its matte British Racing Green AMR26 livery for the 2026 Formula 1 season during a launch event in Saudi Arabia. Team principal Lawrence Stroll emphasized a new era bolstered by the Honda partnership and Adrian Newey's design, while drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll managed expectations for the early races. The event highlighted the team's strategy of prioritizing long-term development over initial performance.
Aston Martin's launch took place on Monday evening at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Ithra, Saudi Arabia, home to title sponsor Aramco. Executive chairman Lawrence Stroll described the moment as representing a new era, driven by the works deal with Honda and the AMR26 as the first car designed by Adrian Newey. Stroll pledged to provide all tools needed to win, and Newey praised the Silverstone facilities as the best in Formula 1, stating, "The facilities are second to none. Lawrence's vision and investment into this building has given us, without a doubt, the best facilities in Formula 1."
The livery features a matte British Racing Green scheme with lime green accents, which fans described as safe yet appealing, with some calling it carried by its cool color. Reactions on platforms like Reddit noted a desire for more prominent Honda branding, though the design received praise for looking good on track.
Amid the reveal, the team tempered expectations for the season start. Alonso noted the high development rate due to new regulations and power unit complexity, saying, "I'm not really too concerned about Bahrain or the first couple of races... the second half of the season is going to be more important." He admitted to AS that the team is "definitely behind," with Barcelona shakedown limited like a filming day, capped at 280 km/h, and no clear feel for competitiveness yet. Alonso added that challenges extend to Honda's engine, which faced unexpected difficulties after rebuilding post-Red Bull.
Honda's Koji Watanabe acknowledged logistical hurdles like distance and flight costs but highlighted benefits from time differences for 24-hour development. Stroll joked about George Russell potentially winning in Melbourne by 30 seconds and not minding energy management rules, expecting a big field spread.
Newey's approach focused on a concept with development potential, emphasizing fundamentals like packaging and suspension over optimized initial setup. He explained, "We've attempted to build something that we hope will have quite a lot of development potential... focused on the fundamentals." Alonso viewed 2026 as a marathon, with the second half decisive, while expressing concerns over energy management reducing driving joy compared to past eras.
Pre-season testing in Bahrain from February 11-13 will provide the first real insights, following the Barcelona shakedown where Lewis Hamilton set a 1m16.348s lap.
