Following the 2026 F1 Miami GP, Fernando Alonso explained why Aston Martin is not bringing upgrades to the AMR26 any time soon.
Out of all the F1 teams, Aston Martin most likely experienced the most difficult start to the 2026 F1 season. The Silverstone-based outfit struggled to get mileage on track in pre-season testing as various issues limited their track time.
This negative trend continued as the 2026 F1 season got underway, with Fernando Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll struggling to complete a full race distance. It wasn’t until the Miami GP that both cars saw the chequered flag.
One of the reasons Alonso and Stroll struggled to complete the race distance was vibrations caused by the Honda power unit.
However, after the conclusion of the 2026 F1 Miami GP, Alonso confirmed in the print media pen, “Yeah, they [vibrations] are gone in the race. No issues.”
Improvement of “gearbox behavior” is a priority ahead of Canada
While the Honda power unit did not cause trouble at the F1 Miami GP, Alonso felt that the gearbox showed strange behavior during gear shifts. The Aston Martin driver added that fixing the behavior of the gearbox would be a priority ahead of the 2026 F1 Canadian GP, as the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve sports a variety of “heavy” braking zones.
“Honestly, it was more the gearbox the whole weekend than the engine, so I don’t know, the electronics, something was very weird on the downshifts and the upshifts, so not very well in control, so yeah, that’s the fix number one for Canada I think, with all these heavy brakings in Canada, we need to improve the gearbox behavior at the moment.”
Alonso predicts “a very tough race” for Aston Martin at the Canadian GP
Looking ahead to the Canadian GP, Alonso shared that he expects Aston Martin to make improvements on the “drivability” of the AMR26. Although drivability might improve, the Spaniard expects Aston Martin to perform at the same level as in the opening rounds and thus predicts “a very tough race.”
“No, let’s see, I think we will make steps on that drivability point of view. Performance not, so we need to stick together with the team. Now it’s going to be a very tough race. It’s going to feel repetitive. Obviously, we need to face the media every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”
Since Aston Martin won’t bring an upgrade package to improve the performance level of the AMR26 until after the summer break, Alonso predicts that his answers to questions about his expectations for upcoming rounds won’t change. Despite the “frustration” over the lack of performance, the Spaniard says that Aston Martin is “committed” to improving in the later stages of the 2026 F1 season.
“No, I mean, it’s good and you do your job. We drive fast, but it seems repetitive the message. We have no upgrades until after summer. So, we don’t need to come to Canada and [be asked] what to expect in Canada, the same. What to expect in Austria, the same. So, that’s the thing that we need to manage: that frustration level from everybody in the team.
“But I think we are all relaxed, we are all committed to after summer having a better second half of the year, and let’s see if we can do that.”
Alonso explains why Aston Martin is not in a rush to bring upgrades to the AMR26
Despite upgrades still being far in the future for Aston Martin, Alonso revealed that he is “at peace” with the status quo. The Spaniard explained that given the team’s gap to the cars ahead, it would be a “waste of money” to push for smaller upgrades. Aston Martin’s focus is to deliver a package that improves lap time by at least 1.5 seconds.
“I’m at peace because I understand the situation. The team explained to me that if we bring one or two tenths every race, it doesn’t change our position. We are P20 or P19, and the next car is one second in front.
“So, even if we bring two tenths every race, it doesn’t change our position. And it’s a huge stress in the system, in the budget cap, and things like that.
“So, until we don’t have one second and a half or two second improvement, it’s better not to press the button into production because we waste money.”
Alonso about his future in F1
Given that his current contract with Aston Martin comes to a close at the end of the 2026 F1 season, Alonso is faced with questions about his future.
Asked whether his F1 future is subject to any conditions, Alonso humorously responded: “If I finish P5 in some race, I will probably retire that afternoon.”
