F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Fernando Alonso reveals Aston Martin might not be able to race

Fernando Alonso in Shanghai — Photo: © IMAGO

Monaco Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso reveals Aston Martin might not be able to race at Monaco Grand Prix

Alonso voiced his fears in Monaco

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 5 June 2026 22:27

Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso has voiced his concerns that Aston Martin may not even be able to race at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.

For once, power unit performance is less of a concern at the Monaco circuit, with the Honda package forcing Aston Martin to fight at the back of the field with Cadillac since the season opener in Melbourne.

Yet, Aston Martin being Aston Martin, another problem has arisen in its place, one that Alonso claims they must get on top of or they will be unable to compete in the race.

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Speaking to the media on Thursday in Monaco, the Spaniard emphasised that downshift problems with the gearbox could prevent Aston Martin running entirely this weekend.

Alonso reveals must-fix Aston Martin issue

Alonso explained: "We have struggled with the gearbox since Miami. Monaco is not the place to have a random downshift, and you have rear [brake] locking or [engine] pushing or something like that. Then you will crash into the wall, and the driver will look stupid.

"We are passengers sometimes when you put one gear down and you have push from the engine, like going on full throttle.

"So, that's the thing that we needed to make sure that we make a step in the right direction in Canada, and Monaco will tell the truth."

"If you have the downshift problem like we had in Miami, probably we cannot even race, because we will crash in one of the braking points due to a very different downshift type.

"If we have reliability issues like at the beginning of the year, that [meant that] we completed eight, 12 laps or something like that, then it doesn't change much to be in Monaco. So we need to put everything together.

"It's what we've been working on the last two weeks since Canada, because we know that it's an important weekend and we are paying a lot of attention to this weekend and all the details."

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F1 Aston Martin Fernando Alonso Monaco Grand Prix