Every Grand Prix in 2025 has proven the obvious: the Aston Martin cars driven by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are not only failing to improve on their times from the previous two years, but in most cases are significantly worse.
Aston Martin has not managed to find anything to extract performance from Fernando Alonso’s car.
Reasons such as those experienced in Saudi Arabia and Miami have made it clear that many are losing hope that Aston Martin can make a comeback of such magnitude that it will lead to the design of the fastest car in 2026, but Alonso is the first to still believe it.
The fact is that, at the start of this year, with six races already under their belt, the team has been unable to find the right setup to get the most out of the AMR25. However, far from being discouraged, the management has drawn up an ambitious strategy that revolves around one key element: the 2026 World Championship. Fernando Alonso, in cooperation with the engineers at Silverstone and under the influence of the prestigious Adrian Newey, will take on a key role in this project, sooner or later.
The current season has been marked by the performance difficulties of the AMR25. So far, Fernando Alonso’s team has fallen behind in the fight for the top positions on the grid. Despite the efforts made, the updates introduced to the car have not been enough to reverse this situation. In this context, the team has opted to rethink its priorities, transforming the AMR25 into a rolling test bed.
Despite this, Fernando Alonso clarifies that the goal remains the same: “To be champions in 2026.”
That is why the Spanish driver himself clarified in an interview with the newspaper AS that the goal remains the same: “To be world champions in 2026,” said Fernando Alonso. In Miami, there was a great opportunity to get closer to the podium, even if it was in a Sprint race.
The Asturian tried again and again from lap 11 to get Aston Martin to put dry tires on in the pits, but the radio told him that was not the best option. They did so with his teammate, Lance Stroll, who finished fifth. The Asturian retired with his car destroyed by Liam Lawson’s collision from behind.
“I know the reality, it hurt on Saturday and it will hurt for many days because there will be four or five opportunities to score points this year and we have lost one in Australia due to the gravel and my mistake, we lost one in China with disqualifications because I had to retire due to a mechanical problem, with the brakes on fire on the first lap, and we lost this Saturday by not pitting when the track was dry. That’s three missed opportunities, there will be one or two more during the year,” he explained.
“Patience is fine, I trust my feelings and my performance. On Friday, I managed to get into Q3 with a car that we already saw where it is on Sunday, 20 seconds behind other cars and with a lot of difficulties. On Saturday, I was fighting for the podium with Hamilton and Albon in a difficult mixed-condition race. We are aware of the conditions we have in the car, but personally, I’m not worried.”
They will sacrifice the ordeal of 2025 to perfect next year
At the same time, and corroborating these words, the Aston Martin team, through its team principal Andy Cowell, has confessed that they will sacrifice this year for the greater good in 2026. “There are technologies designed for 2026 that we are going to test in the 2025 car. It’s the only way to validate things for the future: if it works in a race, it really works,” said Cowell.
“So we’re going to use this car to test and refine tools in a still young team, which is now starting to use resources that the big teams have been taking advantage of for decades.” Even so, within these tests, the British engineer confirms that for the next Grand Prix in Imola there will be improvements to the car, as well as for Monaco and Spain, races in which they at least hope to try to score points.