The Aston Martin crisis does not break Alonso: “He is a true leader, working with him is a luxury”

From dream to disaster All of Spain that follows and loves Formula 1 had placed its hopes in the Aston Martin team, in Adrian Newey and in the technical revolution of 2026. The hope was that the Silverstone team would provide Fernando Alonso with a sufficiently competitive car to allow the idol of the Iberian public to compete for podiums, victories and perhaps that third world title that the Asturian has been chasing for twenty years. Never has hope been more unfulfilled: not only is the AMR26 not competitive for victories but it is, thanks to the so far unsuccessful partnership with Honda, probably the worst car currently on the grid. A disaster which, however, according to the analysis of the brand ambassador of the English team Pedro de la Rosa, is highlighting Alonso’s leadership qualities even more. Over the course of his very long career, the Spaniard has often been pointed out as a ‘difficult’ driver to manage within the team. According to de la Rosa, who spoke about it in an interview with the Spanish website AS, exactly the opposite is true. Alonso on the front line “Working with Fernando is a luxury, I’ve always said it and it’s a source of inspiration, with him I never stop learning – observed de la Rosa, who found himself working in a team with his compatriot even during his time with McLaren and Ferrari – we are now in a difficult situation, but Fernando is there to give his support, to lend a hand if we need to work more, and with a great desire. He’s not a disappointed Fernando or anything else, simply he says: ‘We have to work and I’m here’. Unfortunately, however, the road to get back on top after this disastrous start to 2026 is still long for Aston Martin: “The frustration of the fans is also the frustration of the whole team – underlined de la Rosa – no one should think that we are experiencing it differently. We have to grit our teeth and try to work harder and better than the others to get rid of this bitter aftertaste from the start of the season. What I don’t want is to generate false illusions. The only thing I can promise is work and, starting from from there, the races will decide if we were better than the others”, he concluded.