Aston Martin’s miserable 2026 F1 campaign continued in Barcelona, where both AMR26 cars failed to reach the chequered flag.
The Spanish Grand Prix had already looked set to be a difficult outing for the Silverstone-based squad, and qualifying only reinforced those concerns.
Lance Stroll narrowly outpaced team-mate Fernando Alonso as the pair occupied the final two positions on the grid, qualifying 21st and 22nd respectively.
Alonso’s situation became even more complicated when additional power unit components were fitted, forcing him to begin the race from the pit lane.
Any hopes of recovery quickly disappeared on race day. Both Aston Martin entries were forced into retirement, with mechanical failures bringing an early end to their afternoons.
The disappointing result came despite a rare bright spot earlier in the season. Monaco delivered some welcome encouragement for Aston Martin and engine partner Honda when Alonso managed to claim a single championship point.
The Spaniard’s result was aided by incidents and penalties involving rivals, but it nevertheless provided a morale boost during a challenging campaign.
“It was the best part of the weekend,” Alonso said. “The fans were incredible the whole weekend. That was a very, very nice feeling, a very emotional weekend for me, maybe the last in Barcelona. So, off the car, I enjoyed every minute.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t give to them what they deserve in terms of results. So, hopefully our second part of the year we can improve the situation.”
Aston Martin’s difficulties stem in part from a strategic decision taken by Team Principal Adrian Newey following the team’s poor start to the year.
Rather than introducing a steady stream of minor developments, Newey elected to focus resources on a substantial upgrade package scheduled for later in the season.
“I feel sorry for all the fans in green shirts in the grandstands, in the paddock,” Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack conceded.
“There were many. When we drove in and out it was so nice to see all these people with the green shirts, and we could not give them anything to cheer about.
“It’s weighing on everyone. You can feel it in the garage, you can feel it especially with the drivers. It’s a very difficult situation. On the other hand, we have a strong leader, and the decision was made to upgrade then, and it’s for all of us to commit to that decision, even if it’s difficult.
“And it is our job to keep the motivation high, to learn as much as you can. I think there are a lot of things that we can improve still with this car. It will be easy to say, ‘We just go in circles and wait for the upgrades’. Some of the problems we have will still be there, so we need to solve them.”
