Fernando Alonso‘s team will be debuting a new factory, wind tunnel, simulator, and a new engineering team led by the best in the business, Adrian Newey. But all that isn’t enough if the pieces don’t fit together, and at the moment, they don’t at Aston Martin.
Alonso is still waiting for something that isn’t coming
Processes have to be precise, and a good team is defined by its ability to overcome problems in a reasonable amount of time. Today, despite not having the best car, Red Bull is the most advanced organization. What’s more, it has a driver, Max Verstappen, who can make up for a lot of things on the track.
In Aston Martin’s case, the picture is not simple. Its management has put all its eggs in the 2026 basket, the year of the technical regulation change that will last for many years, but they have left the current season by the wayside. And that is affecting them because today they are little more than the last team on the grid. That, of course, affects Fernando Alonso, who continues to wait behind the bell. Waiting for something that is not coming.
Something that has not come for more than 12 years, when the last victory was achieved in Barcelona. Not to mention the possibility of having a car capable of at least fighting for the title. The closest he has come in the last 11 years was, paradoxically, with Aston Martin in 2023.
The fact is that not all talented athletes believe in their chances or their innate talent when everything seems to be against them. Alonso has a nose for it. He knows where the opportunities are waiting for him and he hunts them down like a bloodhound: right to the end. If years and teams have passed along the way, that’s another story and another article. Today, what matters is how the Asturian driver manages to be, as the song says, like a reed: it bends, but always stays standing.
Alonso’s story goes beyond the result
Because any other driver would have lost patience seeing that Aston Martin is not only failing to get off the ground, but also showing no signs of improvement, at least for now. Alonso will turn 44 in the summer and, although he is starting to get upset, sending messages to the team publicly, such as when they ignored him with the strategy in the sprint, he remains exemplary in his patience and hyper-motivated despite being far from fighting for anything. “Doesn’t it get a little tiring sometimes?” he was asked. “No, not at all, it doesn’t tire me,” he said. “The small goals keep me pretty motivated.”
When we talk about a resilient person, we are talking about someone who has the ability to change their perspective when there is a crisis or a situation of stress or extreme difficulty. Someone who does not allow themselves to be overcome by despair and discouragement. That requires large doses of energy and motivation.
Alonso represents something else. He represents the driver who is shaped by adversity. Who doesn’t need ideal conditions to shine. Who doesn’t seek validation, but rather consistency in his work.
And there is Alonso, who never loses faith. Nor does he lose his commitment. He does not appear frustrated, but defiant. As if each setback sharpens him. As if adversity were part of the ritual that keeps him alive in this game where everyone, sooner or later, fades away. Surely because his dream is in 2026, when the first Aston Martin designed by Adrian Newey takes to the track.
At a time when Formula 1 is full of promising young drivers, state-of-the-art simulators, and races designed down to the last millimeter, Alonso represents something else. He represents the driver who is shaped by adversity. Who doesn’t need ideal conditions to shine. Who doesn’t seek validation, but rather consistency in his work. And there he is, just like on the first day, just like 24 years ago in his first season at the wheel of that Minardi.
So it’s no surprise that, even with a car that doesn’t respond, he continues to grab headlines. Because his story goes beyond results. His longevity is a silent statement that resilience also wins races. Even if he doesn’t always make it to the podium.