A tale of two teams who disappointed in 2025 but are eager to be in the fight for the 2026 championship.

By the end of the last season, neither Aston Martin nor Ferrari were at their best. Their struggles showed on track and off track with drivers evidently unhappy with their cars. However, Aston Martin had a clear goal. They showed promise with their plan. They built new headquarters, they hired Adrian Newey, Lawrence Stroll invested a lot of money into the team with the intention of being championship contenders by 2026. Almost every media outlet were rooting for the team and their 5-year vision to the top. This heightened when Adrian Newey was announced to join their team. Fans expected a rocket ship of a car to roll out of the garage for 2026.

 In contrast there was Ferrari. A team with deeply rooted passion for the Italian car culture. A team who has a rich history, yet it has been years and years of high hopes being tumbled. You could say they are a fandom somewhat used to disappointment. So, by the end of 2025 season, fans were as drained as the drivers in red. With golden boy Charles Leclerc hinting at an ultimatum for the 2026 car, nobody really expected anything from the team during testing.

It therefore comes as a surprise to see how the Barcelona shakedown and Bahrain testing has played out for the two teams as it has not been the outcome expected by fans for either sides. Like a Freaky Friday switch, it was Aston Martin facing troubles before testing even started with an overweight car, while Ferrari proved to be one step ahead of every team on the grid with their smaller turbo equating to a quicker start. One team has all the data they need to take into Australia while the other has not nearly enough, ending testing with only 6 laps completed on the last day.

Adrian Newey captured from 'F1 Dave' on TikTok

By the final day of testing, a video showed Aston Martin’s team principle in talks with Lance Stroll with his head in his hands while Ferrari team principle had an interview comparing his teams new rear wing invention to the 'macarena'.

Fred Vasseur interview with Canal+

Ferrari have proved that their power unit shows reliability with a total of 6200km done in Bahrain. As well as this they turned heads with their unique rear wing innovation and quick starts during the practice race starts. Diego Loverno, Scuderia Ferrari’s sporting director, summarised the testing as having reached their target in miles and have found some issues which are being addressed ready for Melbourne. It is clear they suspect that other teams have not shown their true potentials and so there is no way of knowing where they stand till Melbourne.

Aston Martin suffered a few issues keeping them tucked away in the garage and it seems once one problem was fixed, another revealed. From the battery not being able to recharge quick enough, to the gear box it is not entirely clear what is holding the car so far back but it has been clear that they do not fully understand the car and are likely to start the season at the back of the grid until they figure it out.

This is only testing. When the first race weekend approaches in Melbourne, Australia, we may be witnessing some very different results and cars on track for FP1. And these two teams may tell a very different story when that day comes. So can Ferrari keep up their momentum to challenge at the front? Can Aston Martin pull it all together in time to be ahead of newcomers Cadillac? I am so excited to find out.