F1 2026: Fernando Alonso just dropped the coldest truth bomb on Aston Martin project

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, Japan, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Fernando Alonso just dropped the coldest truth bomb on Aston Martin F1 project

Fernando Alonso is not expecting improvements any time soon

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 6 May 2026 11:57

Aston Martin F1 driver Fernando Alonso has suggested his team's struggles are not going to get easier within the next few races.

The Silverstone-based outfit have had a disastrous start to the 2026 regulations overhaul, and currently sit bottom of the constructors' championship without a single point.

Both of their cars managed to finish both the sprint race and the grand prix in Miami last weekend, the first time they have had two grand prix finishers since the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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But they were still very slow. Aston Martin did not bring any upgrades to their chassis despite there having been a five-week break in the sport, and Alonso and Lance Stroll finished down in 15th and 17th respectively.

Aston Martin's power unit partners Honda are understood to have solved their vibrations, however, giving the drivers a little more comfort and eliminating some of the worst reliability issues that they've had for much of the year so far.

But following the race, Alonso was under no illusions about Aston Martin's form, and how long it might take for them to get to where they want to be in the sport.

"We’ll take it step by step," Alonso told media in Miami. "These are going to be tough races; it’s going to be repetitive.

"Obviously, we have media sessions every day: on the first day, Friday, Saturday and Sunday."

A journalist then jokingly replied: "I'm sorry", before Alonso continued: "That’s fine. You’re just doing your job. But the message seems repetitive: we won’t have any improvements until after the summer.

"What can we expect in Canada? The same. What can we expect in Austria? The same. We have to manage everyone’s frustration in the team, but I think we’re relaxed. We’re all committed to ensuring that after the summer we have a better second half of the year."

Aston Martin's hopes rest on Adrian Newey

Amid their new power unit partnership with Honda and the new regulation changes that were sweeping into the sport, Aston Martin harboured ambitions of becoming a race-winning team this year, and their owner Lawrence Stroll wants to challenge for world championships in the future.

Aston Martin have brought design legend Adrian Newey into the fold, and he has claimed 26 championship titles across his illustrious career.

With Honda beginning to get to the bottom of their power unit struggles, Aston Martin's hopes for the remainder of the season, and indeed future years, rest on Newey being able to develop ground-breaking upgrades.

His AMR26 design is understood to not be operating at a high level, and an F1 insider even suggested that Aston Martin would currently be struggling even with a dominant Mercedes power unit in the back of their cars.

It seems as though the team are going to have wait until at least the summer break until they start seeing what their car can do.

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F1 Aston Martin Adrian Newey Fernando Alonso Honda