Coming off what seemed to be a difficult few days of testing for Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso has outlined the sheer scale of the Silverstone team's to-do list as it readies itself for the beginning of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
With the team adapting to its new team principal Adrian Newey and new power unit supplier Honda, the beginning of the season focuses on the integration of these new cogs of the machine. While Bahrain testing has hinted that the current package isn't yet behaving how the outfit would like it to, two-time champion Alonso is still optimistic for his first season under the gaze of Newey.
"Absolutely," the Spaniard said when asked by Sky Sports F1 if he now understands what makes him the competitor he is. "He’s different. He’s an incredible designer and he has a very different way of working within a team.
"In an era of computers and simulations, Adrian still talks to the driver and uses feedback with the problems you’re having. He can take in the full picture of the problem and probably has the solution already in mind. That's fascinating in a way, to speak with him and to learn from him, and I’m looking forward to this year, for sure."
Across the three days in Bahrain, Aston Martin logged the lowest mileage of any team on track due to issues with the powertrain. Alonso accounted for 98 of these laps while his team-mate, Lance Stroll, completed 108. Team ambassador Pedro de la Rosa confirmed the team was "clearly behind".
But such things don't worry the experienced ace, who is seemingly eager to focus on the silver lining.
"This feels like an important moment in Aston Martin’s project," he continued. "Our facilities are finally completed. We have our own wind tunnel for designing the car now, instead of using a third-party tunnel. We have our own gearbox for the first time — that’s a big challenge — but it gives us the freedom to design key components of the car for the first time. And we have Honda as a partner.
“All the pieces are coming together. The biggest challenge is integrating everything and getting the timing right," he added, admitting that this season may be a slow starter. "Coming from seventh in the constructors’ championship last year, we need to walk before we run and take things one step at a time.
“We’re competitors — we want to win and fight for big things — but that requires time. We want to make that timeline as short as possible.”
