Palmer: Aston Martin 'not even in contention' after disastrous 2026 start

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has delivered a scathing assessment of Aston Martin's 2026 season, stating the team is so far off the pace that it is not even part of the conversation. Despite high-profile signings and a new Honda power unit, the team is rooted to the bottom of the standings with zero points after three races, plagued by poor reliability and a severe lack of performance.

Why it matters:

Aston Martin entered 2026 as one of the season's biggest unknowns, with the legendary Adrian Newey in a dual technical leadership role and a new works partnership with Honda. This level of investment and expectation makes their current position—worse than their infamous McLaren-Honda era—a stunning failure that raises serious questions about the team's direction and technical execution under its new structure.

The Details:

• Palmer's blunt verdict came in an F1 season debrief, where he noted the team's absence from regular coverage is because "they're not even in contention."
• The AMR26 has suffered from intense vibrations and catastrophic reliability issues, keeping it off the track for significant periods.
• Alonso's Lone Bright Spot: Palmer highlighted Fernando Alonso's race starts as the only positive, showcasing the driver's enduring racecraft by occasionally lifting the car into the top ten from a weekend spent at the very back of the grid.
• Historical Low: F1 commentator Alex Jacques pointed out that the team's performance deficit is statistically worse than during the much-maligned McLaren-Honda partnership, calling the start "as close to a worst-case scenario as I can remember."

What's next:

The only direction for Aston Martin is up, but the climb looks steep. The team must urgently address its fundamental car concept and reliability woes to stop the season from becoming a total write-off.

• All focus will be on understanding the core flaws of the AMR26 and implementing fixes, though major conceptual changes mid-season are notoriously difficult.
• The pressure is immense on the new technical leadership, including Newey, to demonstrate they can turn the project around and justify the massive investment from owner Lawrence Stroll.