Aston Martin Formula 1 Ambassador Pedro de la Rosa has revealed that the team holds a “strong confidence” in a far more successful 2027 season, with lessons taken from the sport’s first year of a regulations cycle.
The Silverstone-based squad has suffered in the maiden season of F1’s radical new rulebook, which is headed by a near 50/50 split on ICE and electric power.
Aston’s manufacturer deal with Honda, which began this year upon the Japanese marque’s return to F1, has been a crucial factor in Aston’s slip to the back of the grid.
But improvements made by Honda to its underperforming power unit and by Aston to its AMR26 chassis have seen pace gained, and a semblance of competitiveness return to the team.
With Adrian Newey hard at work in the background, with half a mind now firmly focused on 2027, there will be a keenness from Aston Martin to return to, at the very least, its previous status as a strong member of F1’s midfield.
Despite adjustments to the regulations that will come into effect across the next two seasons, the fundamentals will not change, giving teams a consistent baseline on which to work.
And as far as de la Rosa is concerned, it will give Aston Martin a real chance to haul itself from its 2026 slump.
“Well, I think that we learned a lot this year with these new regulations,” the former F1 driver told Motorsport Week in an exclusive interview. “And I think that the fact that we brought this significant upgrade in Hungary, and it worked, it was positive.
“But more positive was the fact that it worked as we expected. So this has given us a very strong understanding of the new regulations. And a strong confidence that whatever we do now for 27 will translate in lap time.
“So we are well positioned, I would say, for 27.”
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