Fernando Alonso has warned Aston Martin that its solutions for the AMR26 might be “too late” to sustain successful Formula 1 ambitions in 2026.
The two-time World Champion would have entered 2026 with renewed expectations of a full career renaissance with a competitive car.
In the fourth year of his stint with the Silverstone-based team, Alonso will be driving an Adrian Newey-designed car for the first time in his career.
That, coupled with the fact that Lawrence Stroll was able to secure a works Honda deal – an engine that has powered Red Bull to four titles since 2021 – along with a state-of-the-art Wind Tunnel back at base were enough signs for the Spaniard to at least dream about winning a Grand Prix for the first-time since 2013, this year.
Having said that, Aston Martin’s start to F1’s latest era has been far from ideal. It arrived late to the party in Barcelona for the private shakedown, and first impressions from the opening test in Bahrain, last week, have left many believing the team to be drastically trailing the leading pack.
Lance Stroll even suggested the AMR26 could be as many as four seconds off the pace – a deficit that has ‘back of the grid’ written all over it in the modern era of F1.
Reports have suggested that Newey might have taken the striking design of the AMR26 a tad too far, leaving Honda with little to no room for error on the power unit side of things.
Further, the team has also embarked on the path of autonomy by designing its own gearboxes for the first time in its current avatar. Alonso himself alluded to this fact being a major factor in the team having to focus more on frequent teething issues than optimise its package for competition.
The opening day of the final pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit also saw Aston Martin struggle massively. Alonso could only complete 28 laps (the second fewest) of the morning session after a suspected power unit issue meant the screens came up in the garage.
Stroll, who was running just his eighth lap during the afternoon session, then spun out and beached the AMR26 – calling out the red flag.
Fernando Alonso is optimistic despite disastrous start to F1 2026 for Aston Martin
All the signs point to a very difficult start to the 2026 campaign for the Silverstone-based team, beginning with the season-opener at Melbourne, next month.
But when asked, Alonso put out a confident demeanour, insisting that the issues the team is facing with the car are not going to be fatal to its entire season.
“I think everything can be fixed for sure, short and medium term,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“I don’t think there is anything that is impossible to fix. But yes, we need to wait and see. We will try to fix everything that we can before Australia.”
That said, the 43-year-old was quick to quell expectations that Aston Martin would be leading the pack soon.
Alonso conceded that if the team failed to get to grips with the AMR26 soon, it could be “too late” to salvage its title credentials – something the British marque had seemingly cultivated with the arrival of Newey from Red Bull, last year.
“After that [we will] try to fix as many things as possible in the first couple of races,” Alonso added. “Because it’s too late in the championship.
“But no, I’m optimistic. I think there is a solution in place.”
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