Fernando Alonso found encouragement in Aston Martin’s performance at the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP despite finishing 12th and missing out on points. The Spaniard believes the car performed considerably better during Sunday’s race than other events, particularly through the corners.
Changing weather conditions created an unpredictable race at Interlagos, with drivers switching between intermediate and slick tyres as rain repeatedly threatened the circuit.
Although Alonso struggled with Aston Martin’s lack of straight-line speed, he found himself battling with Ferrari and Mercedes at different stages of the F1 São Paulo GP.
The 45-year-old ultimately finished one lap down, while teammate Lance Stroll retired after 30 laps, leaving Aston Martin without points in São Paulo.
Alonso encouraged by Aston Martin’s race pace
Aston Martin entered Sunday’s race facing an uphill battle after struggling to find consistent performance during practice. Alonso finished 15th in FP2 before reaching Q3 in the rain-affected qualifying session, where he secured ninth on the timesheets.
Sunday’s mixed conditions initially appeared to suit the AMR26, particularly as Alonso demonstrated stronger pace through the circuit’s technical sections. However, the opening lap proved challenging. Alonso ran off the track out of Turn 3 while trying to avoid Ollie Bearman, dropping outside the top ten before beginning his recovery.
The Spaniard subsequently made progress through the field, overtaking Lewis Hamilton during the opening stages and later finding a way past Alex Albon.
Reflecting on the difference between Aston Martin’s wet and dry-weather performance, Alonso said:
“Yeah, it was better in the rain for sure, better than the dry, but all in all I think the pace was quite ok and it was a good surprise, you know, the car was performing well, you know, throughout the race.
“Obviously we’re still missing a lot of straight line speed and that’s difficult to compensate, but at one point we were in some kind of fight with the Ferraris at the beginning and even at the end with the Mercedes [a lap ahead], so yeah, taking into account that we lose a lot on the straights, that means that the car was phenomenal today on the corners, so it was a nice feeling.”
Straight-line deficit continues to limit Aston Martin
Despite Alonso’s encouraging assessment, Aston Martin’s straight-line performance remained a significant limitation. Interlagos combines several demanding corners with long acceleration zones, meaning Alonso struggled to compensate for the time he lost on the straights.
His battles with the Ferraris demonstrated the car’s potential in certain sections, but maintaining positions against faster machinery proved difficult.
As the circuit dried during the middle stages, Charles Leclerc overtook Alonso to move into the points. Meanwhile, the Aston Martin driver continued fighting with the midfield as teams adjusted their strategies to the changing conditions.
Although the car’s cornering performance offered some encouragement, Alonso could not convert his progress into a top-ten finish.
Aston Martin finds a better operating window
Alonso also acknowledged that the car felt more competitive during the race than it had in the preceding practice sessions.
Aston Martin had struggled to find a comfortable balance throughout Friday and Saturday, but the Spaniard felt the team managed to move closer to the car’s ideal operating window on Sunday.
“I think all in all, it was a better race than the weekend. I think in free practice, we were not super happy with the car, but in the race, it was a little bit in a better window,” he explained.
However, Alonso played down the significance of those improvements when asked whether Aston Martin could carry them into the final three races of the season.
With 21 rounds completed, he believes the team already understands the AMR26’s shortcomings and what it needs to address.
“There is nothing to learn about the car. We are in race 21 now, so we know exactly what we need to improve.”
Alonso looks ahead after another point-less finish
The 2026 F1 São Paulo GP ultimately brought another disappointing result for Aston Martin, particularly after Alonso briefly challenged cars that finished considerably higher up the order.
Lando Norris claimed victory for McLaren ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, while Mercedes secured the 2026 Constructors’ Championship through George Russell’s fourth-place finish and Kimi Antonelli’s fifth place.
With three races remaining in the 2026 season, Aston Martin faces the challenge of extracting the most from a package whose limitations are already well understood.
Although 12th place offered little reward, Alonso’s positive assessment suggested that Sunday’s performance at least provided a more encouraging experience.
