After Sunday’s 2026 F1 Austrian GP, Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso explained that despite the lack of competitiveness, the team is using every bit of data gathered during the races to prepare themselves for the introduction of the updated AMR26 later in the season.
Finishing the 2026 F1 Austrian GP in last place and three laps down from winner George Russell, Alonso, and Stroll, who retired from the race, used what little time they spent in close proximity to other cars to collect as much “useful feedback” as possible to prepare for what Alonso hopes to be a more competitive run in the final stages of the 2026 F1 season.
Aston Martin drivers Alonso and Stroll use races to collect data to prepare for the upgraded AMR26
“We finished the last few races, apart from Barcelona, where we had a problem with the battery, unfortunately.
“But we tried to collect data for the team, and obviously, all the energy management and running behind different cars at the beginning of the race, and then when we get lapped, obviously, we have the chance for a couple of corners to know also the weaknesses of our cars.
“So, it’s useful feedback, and that’s probably the only thing we can do at the moment with the package we have and the pace we have.
“Try to get things here and there to use that information for the future, and when the new car comes, hopefully, be more prepared.”
Due to Aston Martin’s overall lack of competitiveness and struggles to complete a full race distance, especially at the start of the 2026 F1 season, the team is still on the back foot when it comes to the car’s behavior in battles for positions. However, with every race and every lap, the team learns more, which should help prepare Aston Martin for later in the season when they expect an updated and more importantly, more competitive version of the AMR 26, says Alonso.
“Well, I think we still understand more and more things, as I said, even the extra energy that you get when you get within one second with the car in front. All those kinds of things, it’s not that we have that much information because we didn’t finish many races and we were not competing to anyone.
“So, you know, every lap we do, we get a little bit more prepared for later in the season when the car is competitive.”
Alonso on pit lane speeding and ignoring blue flags
During the 2026 F1 Austrian GP, Fernando Alonso was noted for speeding in the pit lane and ignoring blue flags. Asked whether the pit lane speeding was the result of a finger slip or a software issue, Alonso confirmed it was not a finger slip:
“No, it was not a finger.”
The Spaniard went on to explain that he suspects an overheated sensor, which led to incorrect speed readings, as the culprit. Alonso exceeded the speed limit by 0.1 kph, which earned him a 5-second time penalty.
“They told me in the second stop to go around 75 kph on the pit lane manually. So, I guess it happens sometimes in practice as well.
“A couple of weekends ago, the front wheel sensor sometimes gets too hot and reads a different speed, so I guess it happened.”
Confronted with being noted for ignoring blue flags while driving ahead of Audi’s Gabriel Bortoletto, Alonso responded:
“I’m trying to get out of the way as soon as I can.”
The stewards later determined that no further action was necessary, as Bortoletto had not been at a striking distance when Alonso first received the blue flag.
Alonso looking ahead to the team’s home race in Silverstone
Looking ahead to the upcoming race in Silverstone, Aston Martin’s home base, Alonso says that the team will extract the “maximum” out of the AMR26 for the factory workers and their families at the track.
“Yeah, I mean, try to give our maximum on the track. The week will start early on Wednesday already, I guess, with marketing and factory visits and all these kind of things. So, yeah, important week for the team.
“We will try to do our 100% for all the employees and all the families.”
Lance Stroll on 2026 F1 Austrian GP retirement and Aston Martin pushing for progress
Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin teammate, Lance Stroll, had to retire from the 2026 F1 Austrian GP with a suspected ERS issue. Before his retirement on Lap 45, Stroll said that the feeling inside the car was “pretty good.”
“Yeah, don’t know much more. I think it’s ERS. We knew we couldn’t fight with anyone today.
“I was racing with Fernando [Alonso]. I felt good in the second stint, overtook him. I was feeling pretty good in the second stint, and then, unfortunately, that issue.”
Even with strategic plays, as the double-stacked Aston Martin demonstrated during the brief VSC phase at the 2026 F1 Austrian GP, the team is trailing the competition, forcing drivers Alonso and Stroll to battle among themselves until the updated version of the AMR26 arrives.
“Yeah, I mean, we were just, like I said, in the race with ourselves. So, we know that we need upgrades to catch up to the rest of the field. So, everybody’s just being patient for that.”
Coming back to the suspected ERS failure that ended his race prematurely, Stroll noted that there was no warning sign prior to the team telling him that he had to retire the car.
“No, I was, like I said, in the race with Fernando and overtook him. And then all of a sudden I just got the message that we had the problem, so I had to retire.”
Similar to teammate Alonso, Stroll outlined the hard work Aston Martin has put in to push forward as they hope the upgrades bring the team closer to the competition.
“Yeah, I think everybody’s working as hard as they can. We just have to all keep pushing as a team, and hopefully in a few races’ time, when we get some upgrades, we’ll be more in the mix.”
