Double Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso fears that the Monaco Grand Prix added to Aston Martin’s list of weaknesses as it fights to recover from a torrid start to the 2026 season.
Aston Martin is facing an uphill battle in 2026 as it attempts to drag itself up from the back of the F1 pack. Its season got off to a bad start when it arrived late to winter testing, and it has since uncovered issues with its car and the Honda engine that have hampered running on track.
But while the squad appeared to be getting on top of vibration issues that severely impacted its drivers over race weekends, Alonso warned that its list of weaknesses continues to grow after a tough race in Monte Carlo.
“Zero positives from this weekend,” said the Spaniard, who finished 10th in Monaco after post-race penalties were applied to score the team’s first points of the year.
“We’ve been racing in very different circuits so far this year, all of them were clear for us in terms of understanding some of our weaknesses. In Australia we found our engine was very down, in China we found our energy was very down, in Monaco we found our chassis is down and in Canada and in Miami we found that our gearbox was very bad.
“I think every circuit exposed some of our weakness in the car.”
Fernando Alonso finished 10th in Monaco
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
The growing list of issues that Aston has uncovered came as it qualified 21st and 22nd in Monaco, with both drivers more than three seconds down on the pole position time set by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.
Tight strategy and safety car timings helped Alonso to climb from 21st to 11th at the flag, before a penalty for Cadillac’s Sergio Perez promoted him to 10th. But while further points may be hard to come by over the coming races, the Spaniard remains optimistic that now his team has identified its problems, Aston can start working on solutions and unlocking performance.
“The good thing is [we have] a very good understanding on what action is needed in each of the areas. For the second part of the year, the package that we try to bring are tackling all those problems individually,” he said.
“I have full faith and trust on the team. Because our impression and our feeling is that the car will change dramatically to what we are facing now. We just need to wait for another four or five races of painful results.”
Alonso admits that the team’s turnaround won’t be miraculous, despite it receiving heavy investment in its facilities in recent years and poaching star staff from rivals. Chief among those headline signings is Adrian Newey, who joined as managing technical partner and was subsequently promoted to the role of team principal.
The British designer, who penned cars that have won 12 F1 constructors’ championships, is reportedly hard at work with his team to uncover solutions to the AMR26’s shortcomings. Newey was on the ground in Monaco, where Alonso says he was eager to listen to driver feedback.
Adrian Newey was on the ground with Aston Martin in Monaco
Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / LAT Images via Getty Images
“When he comes to the track, he’s always meticulous in the feedback of the driver and to try to understand exactly what is going on in each of the corners,” Alonso explained.
“I think he’s thinking ahead of time, so he’s thinking what the new package will bring to that specific problem that we are explaining here in Monaco. But not only this one, he’s [also] thinking in a Singapore package what can be done for the next street circuit and things like that.
“We have the best with us. So the more time we spend with him on track, [the] better will be.”
With one point now notched up and the team looking ahead, driver ambassador Pedro de la Rossa explained what Alonso’s point means to the squad.
“This point should be special,” he said. “It’s where we are coming from, how high the mountain we have still to climb in the next months.
“The confidence that we can do it, that we just remain patient, picking up the opportunities that racing gives us, like Monaco, and just move on. But always – as Fernando said something yesterday really nicely – always united.”
Additional reporting by Ben Vinel
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