Alonso is under no illusions: “Aston Martin, we’re behind. Future? I’d like to decide in September”

The new Fernando Alonso alliance seems divided in half between the enthusiasm of finally being able to race for Adrian Newey and be able to drive one of his cars and the realism of knowing that this 2026 season – especially in its first half – could be much more difficult and tiring than perhaps the two-time world champion would have expected. This regulatory revolution and being able to face it with Adrian Newey at his side is the reason why Alonso still finds himself in Formula 1 at 44 years of age, looking for a return to the top step of the podium after 13 years and perhaps the dream of being able to compete for a world title again. Difficult start However, on the sidelines of the official presentation of the new AMR26, the Asturian recognized that not all that glitters is gold. Interviewed by his Spanish colleagues at AS, Alonso confirmed what was evident to everyone when they saw the Aston Martin running for only half a day (out of the three available for each team) in the shakedown tests in Barcelona: the English team is behind the competition. This is not a mystery: Adrian Newey himself had admitted that the Silverstone team’s project is about four months behind its rivals. “We’re behind, that’s for sure. We’re at point zero – admitted Alonso – I don’t think we’ve even started. In Barcelona we were able to shoot, but I considered it more like a ‘filming day’, a ‘shakedown’ that other teams did privately at Silverstone, doing 200 kilometers that we couldn’t do. So Barcelona represented those 200 kilometers for us. Some parts of the car were not approved to go at maximum speed and we had to limit ourselves to 280 kilometers per hour on the straights. It’s just an example of how the preparation was at its limit. It’s difficult to draw conclusions. Bahrain will be the very first test, the very first contact [con la macchina]. Barcelona only served to start the car and see that everything worked”. It is therefore impossible to have an idea of what the competitiveness of the car will be. A choice on the horizon Alonso, then, will have to decide his future this year: his contract with Aston Martin in fact expires at the end of the season. The champion from Oviedo would like to postpone his decision as long as possible, to have as many elements as possible on which to base his choice. Inevitably, however, this conflicts with the interests of the team and Alonso knows it: “Making a decision in April or May could prove right or wrong in September, depending on how developments proceed. The longer you can wait, the better – commented the Circus veteran – this would be my intention: to wait until September to make a decision. It’s not just about performance. I have to see how I feel, how motivated I am, how much the travel, events, marketing and everything else off the track is taking its toll. I think the team will improve a lot during the season; we will get better and better. This will be motivating in terms of being able to continue, seeing that the car is improving and that we will continue to improve our results. But before I can make a completely certain decision, I have to wait as long as possible, if the team can resist. Because what I want is one thing, but if the team wants to know in the spring whether I will continue or not, so as not to lose other available riders, I will be under pressure to make a decision as soon as possible”, he concluded.