Fernando Alonso commented ironically on Aston Martin’s difficulties in the 2026 season and the increase in electrification in Formula 1. After the race in China, the Spaniard joked that the category seems like a “Battery World Championship”, suggesting that his team cannot compete at the same level as rivals in this aspect.
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“Yes, the starts are fun,” he told the press. “Just like in Australia, the car seems to start very well. On the first lap, it’s true that we all have the same battery level, which is full. Then we enter this Battery World Championship, and in that, we are not as good as the others.”
Although Aston Martin considers the starts a positive point of the AMR26, the race ended in a frustrating way: Alonso retired on lap 35 after starting to lose feeling in his hands and feet, caused by vibrations from the car’s battery. Before that, he had been overtaken by Sergio Perez’s Cadillac. Lance Stroll also faced reliability issues at the start of the race, resulting in another double retirement for the team.
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Aston Martin continues to await improvements to the Honda power unit, which has faced problems since the car’s presentation in Barcelona in January. Before the five-week break in the calendar, caused by the cancellations of the Bahrain GP and the Saudi Arabian GP, the race in Suzuka, Japan, still remains.
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