Fernando Alonso has backed the penalty handed to Carlos Sainz after contact between the two Spaniards damaged his Aston Martin and compounded another difficult Spanish Grand Prix. Alonso eventually finished 17th at the Madring, while team-mate Lance Stroll retired with brake problems in another frustrating weekend for the team.
Alonso had arrived at his home race hoping to challenge for the points after another difficult spell for both himself and Aston Martin. Instead, he spent much of Sunday near the back of the field and was forced into an unscheduled pit stop after the collision with Sainz damaged his front wing.
Fernando Alonso says Sainz penalty was the correct decision
The two-time world champion admitted Aston Martin needed an unpredictable race to have any realistic chance of changing its fortunes, but even the chaotic moments failed to provide the breakthrough he had hoped for.
“We needed a chaotic race today to try and change our situation and in the end we didn’t have much to fight for,” Fernando Alonso said. “But we tried different things and keep learning about the updated package.”
The contact with Sainz then made an already difficult afternoon even more complicated.
“Unfortunately, Carlos hit me and it meant we had to pit to replace the front wing. There was a penalty given out so that’s the decision taken by the FIA and I think it was correct.”
The incident left Alonso with little prospect of recovering on a circuit where overtaking had already proved extremely difficult throughout the weekend. Aston Martin’s wider 2026 struggles have also put increased focus on the team’s technical direction and its challenging start to its new power-unit era.
Alonso still praises the Spanish GP atmosphere
Despite the disappointment on track, Alonso was positive about the support he received from the Madrid crowd during Formula 1’s first weekend at the Madring.
“It was incredible to see the support of the fans today and I really enjoyed the atmosphere.”
That support was one of the few positives from a weekend in which Aston Martin struggled to compete for points despite continuing to gather information about its updated package.
Lance Stroll retires with brake problems in Madrid
There was no relief on the other side of the garage. Lance Stroll was forced to retire for the third consecutive Grand Prix after suffering damage early in the race and later developing a braking problem.
The Canadian eventually stopped in an escape road, triggering the Virtual Safety Car that went on to transform the battle at the front of the Spanish Grand Prix.
“I picked up quite a bit of damage in the opening laps,” Lance Stroll explained. “We tried to keep going, but then I started having some brake issues and the pedal was getting very long, so I locked up.”
Stroll tried to turn the car around in the run-off area but was unable to continue.
“I tried to spin the car around in the run-off, but I didn’t have enough power, so unfortunately that was the end of the race. It’s been a difficult weekend in Madrid.”
Aston Martin leaves Madrid with more questions
The result completed another disappointing weekend for Aston Martin, with Alonso 17th and Stroll failing to reach the chequered flag. The team nevertheless continued collecting information from its updated package as it searches for a route back towards the points.
The broader Aston Martin-Honda project has endured a difficult beginning, although Adrian Newey has pointed to improvements in the relationship as development continues.
Madrid ultimately offered little reward. Alonso’s hopes of exploiting a chaotic race disappeared after the contact with Sainz, while Stroll’s brake problem brought his afternoon to an early end and inadvertently triggered the VSC that reshaped the fight for victory.
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