While several drivers will take to the track tomorrow for the final test session of the season — a day in which Aston Martin will run Stoffel Vandoorne in the mule car — the Spanish driver has already returned overnight to the Silverstone factory to complete the seat fitting for the 2026 car and begin simulator work. Preparations are being pushed ahead before the Christmas break.
Formula 1 never stops, not even the day after the conclusion of one of the longest championships in history. Teams have remained in Abu Dhabi for Tuesday’s test day, useful both for running the 2026 tyres on mule cars and for giving young academy drivers valuable mileage, experience that will also support their simulator work.
However, not everyone will take part in tomorrow’s running. Among them is Fernando Alonso, for whom 2026 has already begun — but in a different way compared to the other drivers. While Stoffel Vandoorne will be at Yas Marina to complete the mule car test programme, the Spaniard has already returned to the team’s headquarters in Silverstone to prepare the seat for the new car and continue simulator sessions.
Even though more than a month still remains before the first on-track appearance of the new-generation cars, teams paradoxically find themselves working against the clock to be ready for what is expected to be one of the biggest revolutions in Formula 1 history. Adding to that the mandatory shutdown from 24 December for the holiday break — essential to give staff some rest — it becomes clear that work will continue at an unrelenting pace.
This is why teams are accelerating their schedules compared to previous years, needing to define not only the final organizational details but also the complete simulator preparation ahead of the shutdown. Considering that the 2026 tests at Yas Marina will have limited relevance — as the cars will be entirely different from those running on Tuesday — Aston Martin has chosen to focus its efforts inside the factory.
Fernando Alonso returned to Silverstone during the night immediately after the Grand Prix to create the seat for the new car designed by Adrian Newey, which is expected to debut in the 2026 season, before shifting his focus to extensive simulator work. Development is progressing without pause and, while the initial specifications have already been defined, especially in terms of software and hybrid management, there is still a wide margin for learning.
It should therefore come as no surprise if, in the early races of next season, cars display significantly different electric energy management systems, as each manufacturer will adopt its own approach to hybrid deployment. Drivers will consequently face a steep learning process, since starting next year they will need to pay even closer attention to how and where to save energy in order to maximize lap time.
Fernando Alonso, however, is not the only driver already back at work in the factory. Valtteri Bottas — present in Abu Dhabi only in his role as Mercedes reserve — has also flown to Silverstone, curiously just a few metres away from the Aston Martin headquarters, to plan his development schedule with Cadillac and to complete the seat fitting for the 2026 car. The future of Formula 1 has already begun.
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