The enormous difficulties faced by the team led by Adrian Newey have not gone unnoticed on Spanish television or in the Iberian press.
An endless crisis
Aston Martin has been the biggest disappointment of the 2026 Formula 1 pre-season so far. The warning signs were already visible in Barcelona, and they have only become clearer as the second testing session in Bahrain draws to a close.
Many expected the Silverstone-based squad, under the technical direction of Adrian Newey and with Fernando Alonso spearheading the project, to aim for the very top and fight for the World Championship in the wake of the major regulation changes. Instead, Aston Martin appears to have slipped to the back of the grid, struggling alongside newcomer Cadillac.
A significant part of the problem seems to be linked to the Honda power unit, which has encountered notable reliability and performance issues during testing. Combined with a lack of overall pace, the AMR26 has rarely looked competitive over both single laps and long runs.
For Spanish media outlets, which had pinned great hopes on this season as a potential return to glory for Alonso, the situation has been nothing short of a sporting disaster. The reaction has been fierce and uncompromising.
An article in AS, written by correspondent Jesús Balseiro, claims the team has “hit rock bottom” during these tests and expresses deep concern about the season opener in Australia. The Madrid-based newspaper Marca struck a similarly alarmed tone, running a headline alongside an image of Alonso’s AMR26 stopped trackside: “We have a (big) problem.”
Heading towards Melbourne
The harshest assessment, however, came from DAZN commentator Antonio Lobato. In his analysis, Lobato went as far as questioning whether Aston Martin will even be competitive enough to comfortably take part in the first Grand Prix of the year.
He suggested that the real challenge for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in Melbourne might be “to make it through the 107% cut” — the rule that requires drivers to set a qualifying time within 107% of the fastest lap in Q1 in order to be allowed to start the race.
It is a reference that brings back memories of Formula 1 in the 1990s, when smaller teams often struggled just to qualify. Perhaps the comparison is exaggerated, but it perfectly illustrates the depth of concern surrounding Lawrence Stroll’s team at the moment.
With the Australian Grand Prix fast approaching, Aston Martin faces a race against time to solve its power unit issues and unlock performance from the AMR26. Otherwise, what was meant to be a bold new chapter under the 2026 regulations risks turning into one of the most disappointing campaigns in recent memory.
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