Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey was spotted examining Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari SF-26 on the grid ahead of Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix.

Aston Martin endured a challenging weekend in Mexico, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both retiring in the early stages.

Adrian Newey studies Charles Leclerc Ferrari SF-26 at Mexican Grand Prix

The team’s fifth double DNF of the F1 2026 season means Aston Martin remains 10th in the constructors’ standings having scored just seven points in 19 races.

Newey, who was appointed Aston Martin team principal ahead of 2026, made his latest paddock appearance of the season in Mexico having also attended last month’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

The celebrated designer, who has contributed to more than 200 race wins and a combined 25 drivers’ and constructors’ titles for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, is renowned for studying the designs of rival teams on the starting grid ahead of a race.

And Newey was spotted paying close attention to Leclerc’s Ferrari shortly before the start in Mexico (below).

The SF-26, which won the Barcelona and British grands prix earlier this season, has regularly caught Newey’s eye over the course of F1 2026.

Newey was spotted examining Lewis Hamilton’s car at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March (below).

At July’s British Grand Prix, meanwhile, Newey was caught by PlanetF1.com’s on-the-ground reporter Thomas Maher paying close attention to Leclerc’s car (below).

Newey also kept a close eye on Hamilton’s car on the grid a few weeks later in Hungary, where Aston Martin introduced a B-spec version of its AMR26 chassis (below).

Leclerc went on to finish fourth on Sunday in Mexico, with the Monegasque receiving a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage in battle with Hamilton on the opening lap.

Hamilton ultimately finished second behind the race-winning Red Bull of Max Verstappen, with Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli coming home third to secure the F1 2026 world championship.

Analysis: Mexican Grand Prix

Newey’s latest inspection of the Ferrari SF-26 comes as teams switch attention to their new cars for the F1 2027 season.

As reported by PlanetF1.com, Aston Martin chief technical officer Enrico Cardile hinted in September that the team’s 2027 chassis will be a “completely new car” as it seeks to bounce back from a disappointing 2026.

Newey revealed earlier this year that the development of the current car had been heavily compromised, with Aston Martin only putting a model of its 2026 car in the wind tunnel in April 2025 – four months later than its rivals.

Minor tweaks to the regulations will be made for the F1 2027 season, with Formula 1 moving away from the current 50:50 split between combustion and electrical power in addition to small adjustments to the chassis rules.

Newey has highlighted a change to regulations at the front of the floor – often described as the ‘bib’ or ‘tea tray’ – as a key area to get right under the 2027 rules.