– Aston Martin is one of the biggest disappointments in the current 2026 Formula 1 season. With new engine partner Honda, they actually wanted to take the final step to become a top team in the premier class – but currently find themselves in eleventh and last place in the world championship.
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A look back at the past shows that Aston-Martin-Honda is not the first project in Formula 1 where ambition and reality diverge. In our photo gallery, we look at other major Formula 1 projects from this millennium that have failed spectacularly.
This does not necessarily mean the last place in the world championship, as is currently the case with Aston Martin. We measure the respective results in relation to the size and money behind the project, which is why even a midfield position was often already a disappointment.
Photo gallery: Spectacularly failed: These major Formula 1 projects were never successful
A good example of this is Red Bull’s predecessor team, Jaguar. Over the years, the Ford Group invested large sums in the factory racing team, but it never achieved more than two podium finishes in five years in the premier class. The team never won a race.
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Eddie Irvine drove for Jaguar in Formula 1 for three years and once explained to Motorsport-Total.com: “It didn’t work because Ford didn’t understand Formula 1. The problem was that they didn’t invest in the team’s infrastructure.”
“They thought painting a car green and writing Jaguar on the sidepods would fix everything. We didn’t even have a wind tunnel,” said the 1999 vice-world champion. In addition to Irvine, Jaguar also signed other big names at the time, such as Niki Lauda as team principal.
However, the project was no more successful than any of the others on our list. One entry in our photo gallery, by the way, didn’t even make it to the starting grid …
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