The Bahrain winter test has been a disaster for one Formula 1 team. Aston Martin entered the new season with incredibly high expectations, and for good reason. Especially for Fernando Alonso, there was considerable enthusiasm, as it appeared he might finally be in a position to contend for a championship again.
Alonso won championships in and , after which he made a series of choices that left him in uncompetitive cars for much of his career. appeared to be different, with Aston Martin bringing in design guru Adrian Newey, who has achieved more championships as a designer than anyone else in F1 history.
Adding to the optimism, Honda also joined the Silverstone-based team. The Japanese manufacturer has won four of the last five championships in motorsport’s premier class, making them a seemingly ideal partner for Aston Martin and Newey – who previously collaborated with Honda at Red Bull.
But in Bahrain, it became clear that the team would see little benefit from these developments. The Honda engine is significantly underpowered and has also proven unreliable, forcing the British team to operate with a speed limit during testing – to prevent the power unit from failing. This has led to frustration from Lance Stroll, Alonso’s teammate, who has been openly critical of the Honda engine.
“Time will tell how much performance we can gain from the car,” Stroll said, “At the moment we have the problems we have… It’s a combination of factors. Engine, balance, grip… it’s not just one thing. A large part of that, including the balance, is due to the engine.”
Reports emerging from Spain suggest that Red Bull Racing may be indirectly responsible for Aston Martin’s issues. Honda has lost a significant number of personnel to Red Bull Powertrains – Red Bull’s in-house engine department – in recent years. The figure is reportedly as high as 40% of Honda’s F1 staff.
This has forced the Japanese manufacturer to rebuild its team from scratch and given it the least amount of time of any manufacturer to prepare for the new regulations. The ‘true’ Honda engine is the power unit found in the RB20 of Max Verstappen.
The situation has prompted Aston Martin to make significant modifications to the AMR26 in an attempt to mitigate the cooling issues stemming from the underperforming Honda engine. The team has added extra cooling vents to the car’s bodywork, a clear indication of the challenges they are facing.
The early struggles raise serious questions about Aston Martin’s championship aspirations. The combination of Newey’s aerodynamic expertise and Honda’s engine power was widely touted as a potential title-winning formula. However, if Honda cannot resolve its reliability and performance issues, Alonso’s hopes of adding to his two world championships could be dashed before the season even begins.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Aston Martin’s pre-season preparations were already hampered by delays in assembling the car. The team arrived late to the initial shakedown and struggled to complete a significant number of laps during testing in both Barcelona and Bahrain. This lack of track time has limited their ability to gather data and fine-tune the AMR26’s setup.
The potential impact of this situation extends beyond Aston Martin. Red Bull’s success is heavily reliant on Honda’s engine, and any instability within the Japanese manufacturer could jeopardize their championship defense. The loss of personnel to Red Bull Powertrains may have inadvertently weakened Honda’s ability to support both teams effectively.
The opening race of the season in Bahrain will be a crucial test for Aston Martin. If they are unable to address the engine issues and improve their performance, they risk falling behind their rivals and losing ground in the championship standings. The pressure is now on Honda to deliver a competitive and reliable power unit, or Alonso’s return to potential championship contention could quickly turn into another frustrating season.
The narrative surrounding Alonso has often been described as a “curse,” with a pattern of joining teams at the wrong time or being hampered by technical issues. Recent reports suggest this pattern may be continuing, leaving fans to wonder if Alonso will ever get the opportunity to compete for a third world championship.
