Aston martin has endured a difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season, but Fernando Alonso is hoping the team can follow the same path McLaren took in 2023, when a slow beginning eventually turned into a strong run of results and long-term success.
Flag to flag only at Suzuka
Despite high expectations heading into the season thanks to the new Honda power unit partnership, the first three races of the championship have been disappointing for Aston martin. The team has struggled with reliability issues affecting both the car and the power units, preventing consistent performance.
It was only at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka that Fernando Alonso managed to see the chequered flag, after a frustrating start to the campaign. In China, the Spanish driver was forced to retire due to severe and persistent steering wheel vibrations that made the car increasingly difficult to control.
During the current break in the calendar, the Silverstone-based team is working intensively to solve the issues affecting the car. At the same time, the two-time world champion remains focused on the longer-term goal of returning to the front of Formula 1, looking at other teams as a reference point.
Woking shows the way
Alonso’s hope is to replicate the case of the McLaren MCL60, a car designed for the 2023 season that did not immediately deliver competitive results. The situation even led to the removal of Technical Director James Key from his position.
However, as the season progressed, McLaren introduced significant upgrades between the Austrian and British Grands Prix, which dramatically improved the car’s performance. This development phase resulted in a total of nine podium finishes for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri combined.
That progress became the foundation for the following seasons, with McLaren securing consecutive Constructors’ Championship titles in 2024 and 2025, as well as Lando Norris winning the Drivers’ Championship in the most recent season.
A possible challenge?
Alonso is hoping to experience a similar turnaround with Aston martin, as he explained to the media:
“I think it will take a couple of months for Aston martin to come back,” he said. “We saw McLaren in 2023, last in the first two races, but then at the front by the end of the year. Maybe it is too optimistic, but it is a dream scenario.”
“We know the season is long and, if we understand the problems and fix them, there is still time to find ourselves in a much better position in the second half of the year, or in the last third of the season, and that is what we are working on.”
“The car and the engine have huge potential and we have made progress since the Bahrain tests in terms of setup and understanding some drivability issues, so now we are in a much better position.”
“We still need to fix the vibrations, we still have to close the power deficit, and there are fundamental areas that are still struggling, but it is not like the team is sitting watching television. They are working at full speed, so we just need time and patience, because while the factory brings updates, we have to keep working and racing every weekend with a package that is currently not the most competitive.”
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