(Motorsport-Total.com) – The numbers speak a clear language. Aston Martin was the slowest team during the winter tests ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season and also completed fewer laps than any other racing team. Is the year already over for Fernando Alonso and Co. before the first race has even been run?
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In our photo gallery, we take a look at the Formula 1 teams that have set the slowest times in winter testing in recent years. And indeed, not a single racing team has managed to make it into the top 5 of the Constructors’ World Championship in the following season.
As a rule, the slowest team in winter testing did not get beyond second-to-last place at best in the World Championship later on. This was also the case for Sauber last year. The Swiss team was at the very bottom of the timesheets during the test in Bahrain and later finished ninth in the World Championship standings.
The slowest teams in Formula 1 winter testing
However, Sauber is also a good example of how there can still be successes later in the year after a poor test. Although they finished second-to-last in the 2025 World Championship, Nico Hülkenberg at least secured a podium finish at Silverstone for what is now the Audi factory team.
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In fact, since 2023, the slowest team in testing has managed to achieve at least one podium finish later in the season every single time. Furthermore, since 2018, there has only been one single occasion where the slowest team in winter testing failed to score a single World Championship point later on.
Historically speaking, Aston Martin can still hope for some top-10 finishes and possibly even a visit to the podium this year. However, measured against the team’s own ambitions, even that would actually still be far too little.
Because with Alonso, Adrian Newey and Co., the Silverstone-based team actually wants to win races and eventually world championships.
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