Aston Martin’s ‘horror show’ at the start of the 2026 season is unlikely to be fully resolved anytime soon Sky Sports F1 Martin Brundle.
The team endured a nightmarish start to F1’s new rules era, despite the signing of design genius Adrian Newey and the huge promise of becoming Honda’s new works engine partner.
Along with newcomer Cadillac, who was expected to sit at the back of the field at the start of the season, Aston Martin has not come close to scoring in any of the three race weekends this year. Fernando Alonso finished 18th in his last event in Japan. Both cars were the only ones to ever complete the entire Grand Prix.
Lance Stroll, who qualified alongside Suzuka on the back row four seconds ahead of the pace, quipped after the race that he and his Spanish team-mate were having a great time in “our own Aston Martin championship”. This highlights the team’s current predicament and their future efforts to get back on the grid.
“Isn’t it really painful? It’s like pouring salt into the wound,” Brundle said in the latest edition. F1 show Podcast.
“Which way you look at it, they have neither the speed nor the reliability, and in this era of endless Formula 1 championship calendars and cost caps, it will be very difficult to get that back in time and we have to figure out what to do first.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Despite the obvious problems with the car, Fernando Alonso is confident Aston Martin will resolve their difficulties and improve.
“We need to get Honda properly staffed and on the right track. There will be no improvement until 2027. This is a horror show and we will have to watch the pain.
“Of course there will be some improvement, but sometimes it’s just three or four seconds a lap. I mean, for the current frontrunners, it’s like any other category they’re in. So watch this space, but it’s going to take some time.”
Aston Martin and Honda have both said they are working hard to improve their packages to address engine vibrations that have caused reliability issues and limited early-season mileage for drivers, among immediate priorities for F1’s return at the Miami Grand Prix in early May.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Adrian Newey explains how vibration and battery issues affect Aston Martins.
Newey said that with the AMR26 chassis continuing to be developed as additional upgrade packages are added and powertrain performance is improved, Honda will have catch-up upgrade opportunities under the 2026 Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunity (ADUO) rules.
Speaking on podcasts like Brundle. Sky Sports F1 Commentator David Croft said: “To finish the race (in Japan) was, to be fair, amazing for them, but it was a long-term project.
“This is a long-term project to correct problems that weren’t addressed early enough, and I think people have looked away a little bit from all aspects of that project.
“They said they would use Silverstone for the B-spec car, but it is more likely to be a spa on the B-spec car. The powerplant needs a lot of work and fine-tuning and will probably be back after the Christmas break.
“But they will struggle throughout the season until the chassis can accommodate the powerplant, which will stop vibrating too much.
“Do you see them scoring points? They currently can, as long as the other 12 cars don’t retire. It was good for them to get to the finish line, but as (Trackside Chief) Mike Krack said, there’s little reason to celebrate.”
Formula 1 will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 from May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix the second sprint weekend of the season. Stream Sky Sports NOW – No Commitment, Cancel Anytime
