(Motorsport-Total.com) – At the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season, the impression arose that the Honda engine was primarily responsible for Aston Martin’s poor performance. However, Fernando Alonso has now clarified that the AMR26 is actually not competitive in any area, even apart from the power unit.
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“We have driven on very different racetracks so far this year, and on all of them we could clearly identify some of our weaknesses,” said the Spaniard after the Monaco Grand Prix, where he surprisingly took tenth place and thus the first points for Aston-Martin-Honda.
“In Australia, we found that our engine was very weak, in China, that our energy efficiency was very poor,” Alonso begins his enumeration. At the fourth race of the season in Miami, it then became apparent “that our gearbox was very bad.”
And most recently in Monaco, where the engine plays only a minor role, it was also noticed “that our chassis cannot keep up.” Alonso therefore emphasizes: “Every racetrack has revealed some weaknesses of our car.”
Although he unexpectedly scored points in Monaco, the weekend therefore brought no positive insights, the two-time world champion clarifies. Because in his tenth place, Alonso benefited from numerous retirements and penalties further up the field.
Alonso clarifies: “I have full confidence in the team”
In fact, Alonso only crossed the finish line on Sunday as twelfth of only 15 drivers who even saw the checkered flag. Because Nico Hülkenberg and Sergio Perez ahead of him each received a time penalty after the race, he finally moved up to P10.
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Aston-Martin-Honda had previously finished qualifying in Monaco in P21 and P22, thus in the last two places. So, on their own, they are still very far from the points – which they themselves admit.
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“P10 is our best result so far this year, but […] not representative of the performance of our power unit,” admits Honda’s Shintaro Orihara. Alonso sees it the same way, explaining: “The good thing is that we know very precisely what measures are required in each area.”
“For the second half of the year, we are planning a package of measures with which we want to address all these problems individually,” explains the Spaniard, emphasizing: “I have full confidence in the team.” Because the AMR26 is to “fundamentally change” in the coming months.
Until then, however, they will experience “four or five more races with painful results” with the current package, he announces.
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