Words: Andrew Sluys
Published 5 March 2026
Aston Martin’s Formula 1 team is reportedly likely quitting the Melbourne Grand Prix after a couple of laps due to ongoing engine issues.
For the 2026 season, the team swapped from a Mercedes power unit to one supplied by Honda (Red Bull’s former supplier), and things are off to a rocky start.
These new engines have been plagued by issues during testing ahead of the season, and things haven’t got better since.
Alongside total engine failures, the team has faced issues with the car’s chassis being shaken at levels it cannot cope with.
Parts supplies have also reportedly been compromised, leaving the team considering quitting the first event entirely.
According to the F1 rulebook, a team cannot simply quit a race due to parts supply, and would face heavy sanctions in doing so.
Instead, it’s likely the team will start the race, and withdraw early to avoid any sort of penalty.
Formula 1 legend Martin Brundle spoke about the situation on ‘The F1 Show’ podcast earlier this week:
“Honda was pulling out, they came back in. They seemed a long way behind on battery recovery – on the power recovery – and reliability, they’re churning through their cost cap on the motor side already, and with parts and batteries.
“The big problem they have is that four teams were charging around with the Mercedes power unit. Can you imagine, after nine days of testing, how much data Mercedes has?
“If the Aston Martin is not going around the track, which it wasn’t, by and large, they’ve got nil data. It’s a snowball effect for them, and they’re in dire trouble. I’m sure they’ve got the resource and the brain power to do something about that. But it’s going to take some time.”
