How an unraced Newey-designed McLaren compares to Aston Martin’s 2026 car

With Adrian Newey’s much-improved Aston Martin generating headlines in the last Grand Prix before the summer break – and the promise of more to come when it gets its upgraded Honda power unit immediately after the season resumes – the AMR26’s difficult gestation so far has triggered F1 memories concerning Newey’s only previous failure, the unraced McLaren MP4-18 of 2003.

The AMR26 and MP4-18 have much in common in that they each feature daring innovations. Those of the McLaren would prove to be highly influential in seasons to come – might the same prove true of the Aston?