Alonso: Aston Martin Facing Difficulties & Honda Engine Concerns in F1 Testing

Bahrain – Aston Martin’s start to the 2026 Formula 1 season has been fraught with challenges, as the team grapples with issues surrounding its new Honda power unit. The Silverstone-based squad arrived late to pre-season testing, and the problems have continued at the Bahrain International Circuit, forcing an engine change and a significant rethink of cooling strategies.

Fernando Alonso, a key driver for Aston Martin, expressed frustration with the team’s current position. “We are clearly not in the position we wanted to be,” Alonso stated. “We started with a delay. Missing Barcelona was a big problem because it wasn’t just missing the test in Barcelona, it was also missing the filming days before. Some teams were running their car on January 9th, so now it’s been a month that they’ve been analyzing data and solving problems.”

The lack of early running has put Aston Martin on the back foot, hindering their ability to gather crucial data and refine the AMR26’s setup. “A sensor here, the temperature there, whatever… we didn’t run in Barcelona, we didn’t have a filming day before Barcelona or before here, and now, for us, it’s really the first test here in Bahrain,” Alonso explained. “So we are finding small problems here and there, with each run.”

These persistent issues are disrupting the team’s testing program. “And that affects a bit the program: when you don’t run cleanly, run after run, you don’t really progress in the set-up. If we have a program to test three different suspension rigidities, we do a run and then something appears in the data, we have to investigate or change the sensor, we restart but it’s an hour later so the track is different. So we also find limits to unlock the performance because we are not running continuously.”

Despite the setbacks, Alonso remains confident in the chassis design, spearheaded by Adrian Newey. “The power unit, it’s a little more difficult because we don’t yet have a good understanding of the regulations and what is necessary,” he said. “But on the chassis side, there is no question about that.”

Alonso continued, highlighting Newey’s extensive experience. “After more than 30 years during which Adrian has dominated F1, it’s not like he’s going to forget everything in one year. I don’t know where we are currently in terms of chassis and grip level, but even if we are not at 100% now, we will be soon because we will fix all the problems on the power unit. I think we need to give ourselves time and understand where we are and, if we are behind, improve as quickly as possible.”

The challenges are particularly concerning given the significant regulatory changes for the 2026 season, which Aston Martin had hoped to capitalize on. The team’s struggles are compounded by the relative newness of the Honda power unit within the team’s operation. The Japanese manufacturer’s engineers are working to identify and resolve the anomalies causing the performance issues.

Lance Stroll also voiced concerns, suggesting Aston Martin is currently more than four seconds off the pace. While acknowledging the difficulties, Alonso pointed to the potential for rapid improvement as the team gains a better understanding of the car and power unit. “I did a lap yesterday where I went wide in Turn 4, and then, until the finish line, I gained eight tenths,” Alonso revealed. “This is just to give you an idea of the number of errors there are in each lap we are currently doing. There are laps where we gain or lose eight tenths by changing just one setting. So it’s not like we have to find two tenths by optimizing.”

“Maybe we will unlock seconds when we optimize everything. So hopefully next week we will have a better vision. As I said, we are realistic. We will not be the fastest in Melbourne. We started late, but It’s difficult to guess exactly where we are.”

Aston Martin has been forced to implement significant cooling modifications to the AMR26, opening extra vents in an attempt to manage the heat generated by the Honda power unit. This highlights the delicate balance between performance and reliability that the team is currently striving to achieve. The team’s ability to overcome these early hurdles will be crucial as they look to establish themselves as a competitive force in the 2026 Formula 1 season.