Speaking to the media during Bahrain F1 testing, Fernando Alonso expressed hope that Aston Martin could improve as the 2026 season progresses. The Silverstone-based team experienced a disastrous start to its 2026 campaign, leaving plenty of room for improvement.
“I don’t know who is in front now and who is behind, to be honest,” Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso responds to a question regarding potential surprises in the pecking order given the regulation changes for the 2026 F1 season. The 44-year-old believes the top teams have a “bit of an advantage” due to being at “full potential” right from the start, whereas smaller teams have to take steps to close the gap to the top.
“But yeah, top teams will always have a little bit of an advantage because they are running, their system is just smooth. They are always at their full potential, and the small teams need to grow step by step. So, let’s see.”
Alonso hopes Aston Martin can improve during the 2026 F1 season
Although top teams might experience an initial edge, the Spaniard reckons that a new regulation cycle always offers opportunities for surprises that can impact the pecking order.
“I think the new regs always offer the opportunity to have a surprise. You know, I don’t know who is going to be the surprise, but I think some of the top teams, maybe one of them, will not be as fast as we think, and some of the midfield teams will be a little bit faster than we think. But I’m not sure who is going to be the one.”
While the start of the 2026 F1 season might see the top teams fighting it out amongst themselves, Alonso hopes that Aston Martin will improve as the season progresses, pointing to McLaren in 2023 as an example of how quickly a season can turn around.
“The second part of the season is going to be hopefully different, you know, especially in our case, that even if we start at a slow pace, we can get better. And let’s see.
“McLaren in 2023 was lapped here in Bahrain, and they won a race in, I don’t know, Austria or Silverstone or whatever [*editor note: McLaren did not win in 2023 but Norris finished P2 at Silverstone]. So, I don’t know. This is a complex sport.”
Aston Martin lacks understanding of the 2026 F1 regulations
Over the course of the Barcelona shakedown and Bahrain F1 testing, Aston Martin struggled to accumulate mileage due to various issues believed to be connected to the power unit. “Yeah, I think so,” Alonso responds when asked whether he still had confidence in the team given the early struggles.
The Spaniard explained that Aston Martin currently lacks a “good understanding” of the regulations regarding the power unit, though he believes the team can get there. However, when it comes to the chassis, the 2-time F1 Champion has no doubts, given Aston Martin’s team principal and managing technical partner Adrian Newey’s long and successful history within the sport.
“I think on the, especially on the chassis side, you know, the power units, it’s a little bit more difficult because we don’t have, you know, the good understanding yet on the regulations and what is needed.
“But on the chassis side, there is no, there is no question mark on that. You know, after 30-plus years of Adrian [Newey] dominating the sport, it’s not that he will forget everything in one year. And, I don’t know where we are now in terms of chassis and grip level.
“But even if we are not at 100 now, we will be at 100 soon. Because, you know, we will, we will fix any problem on the power unit. I think we need to give time and understand where we are and if we are behind, get better as soon as possible.”
