Aston Martin is putting everything on the line in the next two races, and it’s a real gamble because they’re going to receive the first of two updates planned for this season, but the car that leaves Miami and Italy will be the one Fernando Alonso will have to drive until the end of the season. The Asturian driver has publicly stated that he is convinced that Aston Martin will become a winning team in the coming years, but personally, he is growing tired of the current performance. These updates, which come from the new wind tunnel, could be an indication of whether Aston Martin is on the right track.
Fernando Alonso and the AMR25
In front of the cameras, Fernando Alonso seems to be sending a message of confidence to his team and is hopeful that they will improve. But if you read between the lines, his messages to the team are a plea to improve current performance. Only his “small miracles,” as he calls them, are keeping afloat a team that is taking steps backward when it should be moving forward. In recent years, it has gone from scoring podiums to being at the back of the grid, something that hurts a two-time world champion who wants to win a third title before retiring.
Improvements that they hope will work
The long-awaited updates from Aston Martin are finally here, and they will come in two parts. First in Miami, where a small package will be fitted that should slightly improve the car, and then in the next race in Italy, on European soil, where the final updates are expected to shape the car for the rest of the year. The final modifications will arrive mid-season, but these are the important ones, the ones that will define the season for Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso.
Fernando Alonso is holding on to a glimmer of hope at this point in the season. If the upcoming updates prove to improve the car, they expect to gain between three and five tenths of a second per lap, which, given how close the field is in this championship, would represent a quantum leap in the expectations of the Asturian driver and the team.
Fernando Alonso’s fatigue
But Fernando Alonso is very productive with the updates that are coming: although he has confidence in the work being done at the new factory, he is also aware that, in the last two seasons, the updates have been a step backwards, rather than forwards, for Aston Martin.
Fernando Alonso is tired of having to fight race after race with his car. Whatever comes out of these updates, he will accept with all the consequences, and will pin his hopes on 2026, waiting for the team to take the expected step to reach the top of F1. But if Aston Martin fails next season, Fernando Alonso’s time in F1 could be over for good. The Asturian driver will turn 44 in July, he will be 45 next season, and it is difficult for him to reach 46 if he is not motivated or if he does not achieve the coveted F1 World Championship.
At the moment, Fernando Alonso’s career seems to have an expiry date: December 2026. Only the evolution of Aston Martin and how he performs in the car can change this. Fernando Alonso wants to be world champion again, he is confident that he is in the right place and he is confident that he can do it next year. But time is running out and fatigue continues to mount. We will see if Aston Martin takes the first step in the next two races, which would mean they are heading in the right direction.