Fourteen years have passed since HRT, the first and only Spanish Formula 1 team, disappeared from the grid. That historic 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix marked the end of a saga for what has without a doubt been the worst team of this century so far. Now, the numbers say that Aston Martin is not far from worsening them.
Aston Martin averages 104.670% of the best lap time, and that percentage has crept higher in the latest races where no upgrades arrived. The best HRT managed was 105.708% relative to the fastest car of a season. If the new Hungary upgrade package does not work, Aston Martin aims to beat all negative records.
Aston Martin is at a 104.670% deficit relative to the best team
In the twenty‑first century, Formula 1 has been characterized by a much tighter parity among teams than in previous decades. Cars so slow they could belong to another category are not typical of this era, but there have been exceptions. And what Aston Martin is doing in 2026 is starting to creep into that list.
The team of Fernando Alonso is, on average, at 104.670% of the best. And this figure doesn’t drop much at the season’s start, but in the recent races it has risen sharply. If the improvements promised for Hungary do not work, the Alonso group could descend into Formula 1’s historical nadirs.
The worst Formula 1 team of this century is undoubtedly HRT, the Spanish outfit that lasted only three years, from 2010 to 2012, and shattered all ignominious records. HRT finished at 107.697% of the fastest in 2011, forcing Formula 1 to revert to the 107% rule, which had seemed obsolete.
In 2010, the first year for the Spanish team, they were at 106.689% of the fastest, while in 2012, with the 107% threshold tightening, they finished at 105.706%, their best season and also the last. That 2012 was even better than what Manor achieved in 2015, when it finished at 106.459% of the best.
The last engine regulation change was in 2014, when hybrid power units were introduced. A perfect context for someone to fall behind, as happened: Caterham finished the season at 104.898% of the fastest, and the team vanished at the end of that same year.
Now Aston Martin operates with almost the same numbers as Caterham, and is within reach of a simple misstep to also be counted among HRT and Manor.
Images | Formula 1
