‘Is this the demise?’ Herbert wonders if Newey’s magic is fading

When Lawrence Stroll poured astronomical resources into Aston Martin, signing design icon Adrian Newey was supposed to be the ultimate masterstroke.

But after Team Silverstone’s miserable first half of the 2026 season, an uncomfortable question is beginning to circulate through the Formula 1 paddock: what if the sport’s greatest technical mind is no longer the unstoppable force he once was?

That is the theory former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has now dared to voice publicly.

The contrast between expectation and reality is striking. Stroll assembled a state-of-the-art factory, a new wind tunnel, a star-studded technical department and Fernando Alonso behind the wheel.

Newey arrived as the final piece of a championship puzzle. Yet Aston Martin spent much of the season fighting near the back before introducing a heavily revised AMR26B in Hungary.

Budapest finally offered a hint of progress, with Alonso reaching Q2, but Herbert believes the bigger picture remains deeply troubling.

A worrying question over Newey

“It is frustrating for Fernando Alonso, really struggling,” Herbert told Vision4Sport. “The car is very, very poor. But that’s just how the cookie crumbles sometimes.

“You look at what they've put together Aston Martin with Adrian Newey, the new factory and all that, and having Fernando on board at the same time.”

Herbert then delivered the remark that will inevitably ignite debate.

“It’s difficult to understand how it has gone so wrong. For whatever reason Adrian hasn't been able to put together a crew that is able to put together a good car or even one that is half competitive for what they are trying to achieve,” he added.

That distinction matters. An engineer’s ability or genius does not generally decline in the same way a driver’s physical sharpness or mental speed can fade with age.

Technical brilliance is usually accumulated rather than lost. Success can depend just as much on how effectively a designer works within a team’s technical structure, culture and decision-making process as on raw intellect alone.

The end of an era – or a false alarm?

Herbert nevertheless believes the possibility of decline can no longer be dismissed.

“Interestingly, is this the demise of Adrian Newey, the first sign of him on a downward spiral,” questioned the three-time Grand Prix winner.

“It happens in sport even to the very best. It was always going to happen if not quite yet, then there will be a point when it happens.”

One encouraging weekend in Hungary is not enough to settle the argument.

The next phase of the season may reveal whether Aston Martin has finally found a direction with the AMR26B – or whether Herbert’s provocative suggestion proves to be the first public hint that Formula 1’s most celebrated design era is nearing its end.

Read also: Alonso rejects exit talk, fully backs Newey-led Aston project

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