F1 2026: 'Desolation at Aston Martin' as stranded Alonso leaves testing and Newey hit by new car trouble

Fernando Alonso and Adrian Newey are pictured to a background of the 2026 Aston Martin F1 car — Photo: © IMAGO

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'Desolation at Aston Martin' as stranded Alonso leaves testing and Newey hit by new car trouble

Aston Martin's troubles have gone from bad to worse under Newey's watch

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 20 February 2026 08:30

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A bleak picture of the current state of Aston Martin F1 team has been painted by Spanish media following yet another nightmare day of testing.

The 2026 pre-season tests conclude in Sakhir on Friday, February 20, but Aston Martin are yet to complete a full race simulation amid growing concerns over their new power unit.

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso was just 26 laps into his grand prix simulation on Thursday afternoon when he was forced to stop on track.

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The Spaniard was left stranded at the side of the Bahrain International Circuit having suffered a power unit issue, causing the session to be red-flagged, with Aston Martin mechanics seen wearing gloves to remove the vehicle, which was in an unsafe condition.

Aston Martin were also responsible for the only genuine red flag of Wednesday's testing sessions when Lance Stroll spun into the gravel at Turn 11, with the Sky F1 commentary team immediately noting the incident appeared to not be due to driver error.

Concerns are mounting by the day over Aston Martin's chances of even completing a full race come the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in less than a month's time after their first campaign under Adrian Newey's leadership has gotten off to a diabolical start.

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Newey faced with worrying Aston Martin reality

Following Thursday's further setback for the Silverstone squad, Spanish F1 commentator Antonio Lobato took to social media platform 'X' reporting of 'desolation at Aston Martin.'

In a series of posts detailing the dire situation Newey's new squad find themselves in, Lobato wrote: "Desolation at Aston Martin. The penultimate day ends with another failure in the Honda power unit, leaving Alonso stranded in the middle of the track and preventing his team from completing the programme once again."

The DAZN commentator who has been a major voice during Alonso's lengthy F1 career also revealed that the champion would be not be hanging around in Bahrain for the team's final day of testing, adding: "Once again, Aston ends the day with the lowest number of laps. Fernando returns home tonight."

The broadcaster also flagged the alarming reality that the squad Newey now also leads as team principal have only been able to complete 25 consecutive laps so far, as the 57-lap Australian Grand Prix looms.

The F1 design genius may have 25 championships to boast across his esteemed career, but Newey now faces the sobering realisation that Aston Martin's partnership with Honda could prove to be his biggest challenge yet.

Lobato also raised this concern in a clip which has surfaced on social media following an appearance with Soy Motor, where he said: "Aston Martin's first races are going to be thrown away.

"The Honda engine is a long way from being an acceptable Formula 1 engine."