The 2026 Formula 1 season got off to a painful start for Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin F1 Team, and the two-time world champion isn't expecting a miracle at the next round of the championship, the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. After a disastrous weekend in Melbourne, the Spaniard is displaying a stark realism about his team's immediate prospects.
Alonso expects another very difficult weekend in Shanghai
The first Grand Prix of the season, in Australia, has already given a glimpse of the major difficulties that Aston Martin must cope with its new engine partnership with HondaWinter testing had already been complicated: the British team covered the fewest kilometers in Barcelona and then in Bahrain. In Melbourne, simply managing to start the race with both cars was almost considered a small internal victory.
But the race itself quickly confirmed the scale of the problem.
Alonso had to give up 36th roundunable to continue with an unstable car shaken by significant mechanical vibrations. His teammate Lance stroll did manage to reach the finish line, but under very particular conditions: last of the drivers still on the track, and very far behind the rest of the pack.
After the race, the Canadian summed up the situation with a touch of irony:
"The word race is perhaps a bit strong... We went out, we rode a little, and we simply did some laps. »
Alonso is not expecting any miracles in China
Just days before the trip to China, Alonso harbors few illusions about a rapid recovery.
"Nothing different, nothing different"he said, referring to expectations for Shanghai.
The 44-year-old veteran believes the team will have to deal with exactly the same technical limitations.
"We will have the same car and the same powertrain next weekend. So I expect another difficult weekend." »
For the Spanish driver, the immediate objective is no longer pure performance, but simply to understand the car and accumulate mileage.
"We need to continue exploring different solutions, particularly on the chassis side, and try to understand the entire system. We are not optimized in any area at the moment, due to a lack of testing."
Vibrations at the heart of the technical crisis
The main problem concerns the vibrations generated by the engine's hybrid system. Sling, particularly with regard to the battery. According to the team, some modifications have been introduced since the Bahrain tests, but their effects are not yet fully felt.
Alonso acknowledges that the situation remains very difficult while driving:
"It's not very pleasant to drive with this level of vibration." »
The challenge now is to properly isolate these vibrations in the chassis to prevent them from being transmitted to the cockpit.
"Honda believes that battery vibrations have been reduced, but this still needs to be isolated differently within the car. This will take a little more time."
Under these conditions, the Chinese Grand Prix might look more like another full-scale test session than a real sporting battle for Aston Martin.
For Alonso as for the team led by Adrian NeweyThe objective will be simple: survive the weekend and gather data. Because for now, the 2026 season looks more like a technical project than a championship campaign.
