00:02Ex-IndyCar driver turned F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe says Aston Martin's fall from grace this year makes for awkward viewing,
00:10given the enormous investment it's made in both people and infrastructure.
00:16Aston Martin was expected to make a serious step change in 2026 after two seasons spent struggling, with a Honda
00:24Works power unit deal and a new factory full of top technical minds.
00:30But the squad arrived in Australia around four seconds off the pace due to a four-month production delay blamed
00:37on Adrian Newey's late arrival and Honda's R&D rebuild.
00:42Hinchcliffe, though, told the sports official podcast F1 Nation that it feels like the worst-case scenario.
00:51It's tough to watch because, again, that's a team that came in with a lot of hope, a lot of
00:55expectation, based on all the investment in the facilities, based on the Honda relationship,
00:59based on Adrian Newey being there. And so far, they've come up short in, I think, every conceivable metric.
01:10F1 looks set for no races in April, with the sport on the cusp of cancelling or postponing the Bahrain
01:17and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix,
01:19due to escalating conflict in the Middle East between the USA, Israel and Iran.
01:26F1's governing body, the FIA, has already postponed the World Endurance Championships Qatar season opener
01:32that was originally slated to be held on March 26-28.
01:39Should Bahrain and Saudi Arabia be dropped, it will create an almost five-week gap between Japan and America's first
01:47round in Miami.
01:49Logistical and cost implications may mean they are not replaced.
01:57Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Travis Ault says the US$80 million budget blowout for the race's new pit building,
02:05due to asbestos contamination at the site, is out of his hands.
02:13Melbourne will begin construction on its new pit building imminently,
02:16with the process expected to be completed ahead of the 2028 race.
02:23The new building will feature 14 garages, race control and administration, and a media centre.
02:29For other sports held there throughout the year, it'll also have more indoor sports courts and better club rooms.
02:38But the project could be scaled back following early works done last year,
02:43where asbestos was discovered, pushing out the total cost to US$276 million.
02:50Though Ault played his cards close to his chest.
02:55Yeah, so we've got the privilege of a new project, of a brand new pit building paddock club,
03:03which will start at the conclusion of this race and be completed by 2028.
03:08At the early part of that program, they worked out there's some contaminated soil.
03:13That's not completely unusual in building projects.
03:16That was dealt with appropriately.
03:18In terms of the program and the cost, that's something for Development Victoria,
03:21they're leading the project, they're best placed to take you through the implications of that.
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