Alonso ‘happy to take all the DNFs’ for title contention in 2026

Fernando Alonso’s 2025 season hit another sour note at the Monaco Grand Prix, where the wily Spaniard’s Aston Martin sputtered to a smoky halt at Rascasse at half distance, marking his third DNF of a frustratingly pointless campaign.

The two-time World Champion, stuck on zero points in the Drivers’ standings hasn’t endured such a barren start since his maiden since in the sport in… 2001!

A crash in Australia, brake woes in China, and a chronically underperforming car have plagued F1’s veteran charger, while teammate Lance Stroll has racked up 14 points.

Yet, in Monaco’s sun-lit tight streets, a glimmer of hope emerged: Alonso’s slick qualifying lap secured P7, bumped to P6 after Lewis Hamilton’s penalty. But dreams of points evaporated when his power unit faltered, robbing him of a shot at breaking his scoring drought.

“Not the end we wanted”

“I think the race was difficult from our side,” Alonso commented.

“We had to manage many things – from Lap 15 we had a problem so we didn’t have the electrical part of the engine. It was 160hp [horsepower] less.”

Despite the setback, Alonso kept his cool, holding sixth for a stretch in a race where power isn’t everything on Monaco’s twisty circuit. But the gremlins in his Mercedes engine had other plans, forcing him to park up in a cloud of disappointment.

“Here in Monaco it’s not crucial, the power, so we kept sixth position alive for quite a long time, but in the end the engine stopped. It was not the end of the weekend that we wanted,” he said.

Confidence and Competitive Spirit Intact

Alonso, ever the pragmatist, refused to chalk it up to bad luck. “It is not down to luck. It’s not that the wrong Safety Car or something came from the sky and hit our car – today [there] was something wrong on our engine that we need to investigate and try to improve for next time,” he insisted.

Amid the hardship, the Spaniard’s confidence in his driving remains unshaken.

“I’m competitive – it’s not that I feel slow or I just have contact with the wall or with people on the first lap and because of my mistakes, I’m not scoring any points,” he explained.

“I think I’m driving at a high level and I just need to wait and see what happens in the next races.”

Eyes on 2026

Alonso admitted that his focus isn’t on scraping minor points here and there but on something bigger down the road.

With no wins since 2013, the 43-year-old’s hunger for glory burns bright. He’s willing to endure this season’s misery for a shot at redemption under F1’s 2026 regulation overhaul.

• Read also: F1i Driver Ratings for the 2025 Monaco GP

“For me, it doesn’t really change to finish P8 in Barcelona or Canada to score eight points this year or 22. It doesn’t change much,” Alonso contended.

“While next year, with the change of regulation, we really hope to be a contender for the championship. So I’m happy to accumulate all the DNFs this year.”

For now, Alonso is swallowing the bitter pills of 2025, betting on a sweeter 2026.

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