Fernando Alonso F1 future addressed as Aston Martin start from a ‘clean sheet’

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Aston Martin

Aston Martin start from a ‘clean sheet’ as Fernando Alonso F1 future addressed

It's not all doom and gloom for Alonso at Aston Martin

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 21 March 2026 19:41

Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso has been handed a rare opportunity to start from scratch, despite the 2026 campaign being the 23rd F1 championship he has competed in.

The Spaniard has suffered a dismal start to what was supposed to be the beginning of a fruitful relationship between Aston Martin and Honda, with the Japanese power unit provider entering into a works partnership with the team for 2026 and beyond.

This season has seen the introduction of the brand new chassis and power unit regulations, and whilst that has reset the competitive order in a positive way for frontrunners Mercedes, Aston Martin have firmly cemented themselves at the bottom of the standings alongside brand new outfit Cadillac.

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What's even more embarrassing for Lawrence Stroll's team is the fact that the American squad with no experience in F1 have at times been able to cross the line when Aston Martin have not.

After the opening two rounds of the 2026 campaign, Aston Martin and Cadillac are the only two teams who are yet to score a single point, with neither Alonso nor his team-mate Lance Stroll having been able to complete a full grand prix so far this season.

Alonso previously stated that if Aston Martin failed to hit the ground running when the new regulations were introduced, it would only spur him on to extend his contract, which currently runs until the end of this year.

So what does the future hold for the 44-year-old as Aston Martin's 2026 nightmare rumbles on?

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Alonso told 'the sky’s the limit' at Aston Martin

Speaking during FP1 at last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, Sky Sports F1 analyst and former driver Anthony Davidson managed to find the positive in such a horrendous start for the Silverstone squad, saying: "It must be exciting in some ways for Fernando to start from this clean sheet now with Honda as an engine manufacturer.

"The team can stand on their own two feet and work from the ground up and I think for somebody as experienced and as hungry as Fernando, he’s still hungry after all these years.

“It must be quite enticing to get his teeth stuck into this new project, obviously it’s not where they want to be starting from but the sky’s the limit for them.”

Sky F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz then spoke on the two-time champion’s future, adding: "Well Fernando, come on. He’s got to stay until he wins in a Newey car at least, at least one win in a Newey car, he’s got to stay until then. Next year maybe?

"Well you never know, nothing’s impossible, next year, might be this year."

When is the next F1 race?

After a fast turnaround between the 2026 season opener and the second round, fans and drivers can breathe easy for a moment given that there is now a weekend off until the third round of the championship.

The next grand prix is not until Sunday, March 29 in Suzuka as the Japanese Grand Prix returns before a long break in April following confirmation from F1 that both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs have been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

F1 Aston Martin Fernando Alonso 2026 regulations Honda Anthony Davidson