Fernando Alonso is reportedly far from impressed with Aston Martin’s 2026 challenger, and the two-time world champion’s frustration was apparently on full display on Thursday in Bahrain.
Despite the arrival at Team Silverstone of legendary designer Adrian Newey, the team’s AMR26 has stuttered out of the gates. The cracks first appeared when the team turned up late to F1’s Barcelona shakedown, only for the car to break down almost immediately.
That trend continued in Bahrain, where engine partner Honda – reportedly on the back foot compared to rivals – detected "data anomalies" that left Lance Stroll stranded after just 36 laps.
But according to Spanish journalist Antonio Lobato, Alonso’s body language told its own story after stepping out of Aston’s car on Thursday.Lobato described the scene bluntly on social media:
“He gets out of the car, throws away the gloves; they’re not where they wanted to be, not even close.”
It was not merely a moment of irritation – insiders suggest it was the physical manifestation of deeper concern. Speaking later, Lobato revealed an even darker sentiment allegedly circulating within Alonso’s “inner circle”:
"I've spoken with someone from Fernando's inner circle, and what they told me was: 'Another year in hell. Another year of suffering’".
For a team that entered 2026 surrounded by hype and high expectations, such words land like thunder in a glasshouse.
A Car Already Under Siege
The numbers coming out of the timing screens at Sakhir are nothing short of catastrophic for a team with title ambitions. While Alonso managed to find some reliability in Thursday’s session, his best time was nearly four seconds adrift of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
The most alarming admission, however, came from within the team’s own garage. Lance Stroll, usually reserved, delivered a bleak assessment that confirmed the team’s worst fears.
©Aston Martin
Despite the uncertainty of testing, the gap to the front isn't just a margin – it’s a country mile.
"Right now we look like we're four seconds off the top teams, four and a half seconds,” the Canadian admitted. "Impossible to know what fuel loads and everything people are running. But now we need to try and find four seconds of performance."
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With development reportedly starting four months late and a power unit that seems to be lagging behind the competition, Aston Martin finds itself in a race against time it has already lost.
For Alonso, a driver who famously has no time for mediocrity, the realization that 2026 is yet another "year in hell" may be the final straw in a partnership that promised so much but which has so far delivered so little.
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