Fernando Alonso and Liam Lawson will start the 2026 Italian Grand Prix from the pit lane after Aston Martin and Red Bull carried out significant work on their cars following qualifying at Monza. Alonso has received new Honda power unit components, while Lawson’s Red Bull has undergone changes to the rear wing and suspension set-up.
Both teams worked on their respective cars overnight, breaking the curfew, meaning neither driver will take up a position on the starting grid for the Italian Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso takes new Honda power unit components at Monza
Fernando Alonso’s problems began during Q1 on Saturday. The Spaniard was forced to miss his final qualifying run after Aston Martin detected an issue with the Honda power unit that had only been installed at the previous Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
Honda subsequently explained that abnormal behaviour had appeared in the data from several components on Alonso’s car.
“Yesterday in Q1 we detected abnormal behaviour [in the data] on some power unit components on Fernando’s car,” the Japanese manufacturer said in a statement. “This prevented Fernando from completing a final attempt in qualifying. As a result, we worked on the AMR26 overnight and Fernando’s car will therefore start from the pit lane.”
Aston Martin replaced the MGU-K, energy store and control electronics on Alonso’s AMR26. The Spaniard has exceeded the permitted allocation for those components and therefore incurs penalties.
The additional setback does not dramatically alter Alonso’s prospects, however, because he had only managed the 21st-fastest time in qualifying after being unable to complete his final attempt.
Liam Lawson’s Red Bull also moved to the pit lane
Red Bull has also made significant changes to Liam Lawson’s RB22. The team replaced the rear wing and modified the suspension set-up on the New Zealander’s car.
Lawson is competing for Red Bull at Monza in place of Isack Hadjar, who remains sidelined by the wrist injury he suffered during the summer break.
His Italian Grand Prix was already set to be difficult before the latest changes. Liam Lawson had qualified 14th after being impeded by Oscar Piastri’s McLaren during Q2, an incident that subsequently resulted in a grid penalty for the Australian.
Lawson was also already due to start from the back of the field after Red Bull introduced additional components on his Red Bull-Ford DM01 power unit.
Lawson’s grid position was already compromised
For that reason, the decision to carry out further work on Lawson’s car and start from the pit lane does not fundamentally change the scale of the challenge he was already facing.
Red Bull has instead taken the opportunity to modify the RB22 ahead of the race, including its rear-wing specification and suspension settings, with Lawson already facing a recovery drive from the rear.
Fernando Alonso and Liam Lawson will therefore both watch the rest of the field form up on the Monza grid before beginning their Italian Grand Prix from the pit lane. Alonso will attempt to recover after another difficult weekend for the Honda-powered Aston Martin, while Lawson faces the challenge of fighting through the field in a heavily compromised Red Bull race.
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