The Downfall of Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso’s Cryptic Remarks at Interlagos
In recent weeks, Fernando Alonso has been vocal about the dismal performance of his Aston Martin, having only accrued 10 points over the last six races. Following yet another disappointing outing at the GP of Sao Paulo, the two-time world champion chose to hold back his criticisms, perhaps out of respect for the Silverstone team’s management. “I can’t be completely honest, but I believe all our rivals are improving quite a bit,” he remarked, commenting on the AMR25’s gradual decline at the Interlagos track.
“Other teams are capable of putting everything together, and it will probably be the same in Qatar, where Friday will be our best day,” Alonso shared, blending sarcasm with resignation. Finishing 14th, after being outperformed by competitors like Racing Bulls, Haas, and Williams, left him understandably disheartened, especially considering the promising performance of his car earlier in the weekend at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.
Mixed Signals from Practice Sessions
Alonso showed potential early on, securing fourth place in the only practice session with a time of 1:10.606, just 0.012 seconds shy of Nico Hulkenberg in third. By Friday evening, he managed to secure fifth place in the sprint race shootout, hitting a time of 1:09.496, which was only 0.25 seconds off Lando Norris, who claimed pole position. Additionally, during the second session, he even clocked a quicker time of 1:09.330, which would have positioned him second on the grid.
A Strategy Gone Awry
However, those optimistic signs quickly dwindled. On Saturday, Alonso was able to maintain pace with one of the Ferraris during the sprint race, clinching a sixth-place finish worth three points. This result raised hopes for a Q3 appearance in qualifying; however, Aston Martin failed to capitalize on the mistakes made by Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, both of whom were eliminated early. Astonishingly, the AMR25 fell behind four theoretically less competitive teams: Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), and Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber).
The car’s performance seemed optimally tuned for medium tires, showing even better one-lap times than the soft compounds. Yet, in a surprising tactical decision, the team opted to start with hard tires. Alonso and his teammate Lance Stroll struggled to get heat into these tires, leading to challenges during both restarts after the races were briefly halted due to incidents involving Gabriel Bortoleto and Charles Leclerc.
“I decided to take a bit of a risk. If we did the same as everyone else, we’d likely finish behind them, so we tried something different. It didn’t work out, but at least we tried,” Alonso stated, labeling his 14th-place finish as “disappointing.”
Aston Martin’s Struggles and Future Prospects
This sentiment of frustration resonated with Lance Stroll, who finished just ahead of Yuki Tsunoda in 15th. “The hard tires didn’t work well either, but ultimately it came down to the lack of pace from the car,” he conceded post-race.
As Alonso expressed his feelings over the radio, he questioned ironically, “Are we racing against anyone?” in reference to the considerable gap to Carlos Sainz and Lawson. Alonso’s struggles have led him to lose another position in the championship standings, now falling behind Oliver Bearman.
A Potential Threat to Aston Martin’s Constructor’s Standings
In terms of the Constructors’ Championship, Aston Martin’s situation is becoming increasingly dire. The team now finds itself teetering precariously at seventh place, facing mounting pressure from Haas, which has closed the gap to merely two points (72-70). Over the last two races, Haas has accumulated 22 points while Aston Martin has managed only three.
For several weeks, the entire focus at the Silverstone factory has pivoted toward the 2026 Championship. Nevertheless, with three races left (Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi), the pressure is mounting on Mike Krack, the team’s track operations manager. “We knew today would not be easy, and we lacked the pace to fight for points. We tried a different strategy with long initial stints on hard tires, but we just didn’t have the speed,” summarized the Luxembourg native, visibly irked by Alonso’s critical comments.