Formula 1
Formula 1 is the highest-profile single-seater racing championship in the world, with the 2026 calendar originally announced as a 24-race global season across five continents. For Fuel the Passion, the focus is Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team: the Silverstone-based works team running the AMR26 with Honda power, driven by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. This page follows the team’s race results, technical direction, driver stories and the wider Aston Martin performance narrative through the season.
Image © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Formula 1 - Season So Far
The 2026 Formula 1 season has now completed ten rounds: Australia, China, Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco, Barcelona-Catalunya, Austria, Great Britain and Belgium.
Mercedes remains the championship benchmark. Kimi Antonelli converted pole position into victory at Spa-Francorchamps, finishing 1.9 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc, with Max Verstappen completing the podium. It was Antonelli’s sixth victory of the season and extended his Drivers’ Championship lead after George Russell retired on the opening lap. Antonelli now leads with 204 points, ahead of Lewis Hamilton on 159 and Russell on 154, while Mercedes heads Ferrari by 358 points to 285 in the Teams’ Championship.
For Aston Martin, Belgium brought another deeply disappointing weekend. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll qualified 21st and 22nd, locking out the final row on outright pace before both drivers also received power-unit-related grid penalties. The penalties ultimately made little practical difference because the AMR26 was already detached from the rest of the field.
Sunday offered no recovery. Alonso finished 19th and two laps behind the winner, while Stroll retired after 25 laps when he began experiencing a suspected gearbox problem. Aston Martin acknowledged that it simply did not have the pace to compete, with Alonso describing the race as an exercise in doing the best possible job within the car’s current limitations.
The Spa result continues a troubling sequence. Monaco remains Aston Martin’s only points finish of the season, after Alonso was promoted to 10th following post-race penalties. Both cars then retired in Barcelona, Alonso finished 18th in Austria while Stroll retired, and the team followed that with 18th and 19th at its home Grand Prix at Silverstone.
After Belgium, Aston Martin remains 10th in the Teams’ Championship with a single point, ahead only of Cadillac. The AMR26 has not merely struggled to score; at recent races it has frequently occupied the final positions in qualifying and finished well outside meaningful midfield contention.
That places enormous importance on the Hungarian Grand Prix. Aston Martin is preparing to introduce a new AMR26 package at the Hungaroring, with Mike Krack confirming that the team’s focus has now shifted to learning and understanding those developments. Alonso has also stressed the need to maximise every practice session so the team can properly evaluate the revised car.
Hungary should not be treated as an instant cure for the season, but it’s now the clearest opportunity for Aston Martin to demonstrate that the AMR26 can be moved away from the back of the grid. Even a return to genuine midfield competition would represent meaningful progress after the increasingly stark performances seen at Silverstone and Spa.
FTP Summary
Aston Martin leaves Belgium with one point from ten races. Alonso finished 19th and two laps down at Spa, while Stroll retired with a suspected gearbox problem after both cars had qualified at the rear of the field. The AMR26’s present level is clear; Hungary and the introduction of the new package now represent the most important test of Aston Martin’s season so far.
Images © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Belgian Grand Prix
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium | 17–19 July 2026
Kimi Antonelli converted pole position into victory at Spa-Francorchamps, finishing ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. Aston Martin endured another extremely difficult weekend. Fernando Alonso finished 19th and two laps behind the winner, while Lance Stroll retired after reporting a car issue on lap 25.
Top 10
Aston Martin Focus
Formula 1 Standings
Aston Martin focus after the Belgian Grand Prix.
Constructors
Drivers — Top 10
Drivers — Aston Martin Focus
Standings shown reflect FIA Championship Points Document 66, published after the Belgian Grand Prix on 19th July 2026. The document was marked subject to notices of intention to appeal by McLaren and Red Bull Racing.
Image © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Race 10 – Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps | 17th–19th July 2026)
Spa Leaves Aston Martin at the Back Ahead of Crucial Hungary Upgrade
The Belgian Grand Prix provided another stark demonstration of Aston Martin’s current Formula One position. Fernando Alonso finished 19th and two laps behind the winner at Spa-Francorchamps, while Lance Stroll retired after 25 laps with a suspected gearbox problem. There had been little expectation of a sudden improvement in Belgium. Aston Martin had already identified the following Hungarian Grand Prix as the planned introduction point for its first significant AMR26 development package, leaving Spa as one final weekend with the car in its existing specification.
Even so, the scale of the team’s difficulty was difficult to ignore.
Aston Martin Locks Out the Final Qualifying Positions
Spa’s high-speed layout exposed the AMR26’s weaknesses from the opening practice sessions. Jak Crawford replaced Alonso during first practice, completing his development running while Stroll finished 21st. When Alonso returned for FP2, the two Aston Martins remained at the bottom of the order, with Stroll 21st and Alonso 22nd.
Saturday brought no meaningful improvement. Alonso qualified 21st with a 1:50.002, narrowly ahead of Stroll’s 1:50.177 in 22nd. The Aston Martins were more than two seconds slower than the Cadillac of Sergio Pérez immediately ahead of them in the Q1 classification. Both drivers were also carrying grid penalties following the introduction of additional power-unit components. In practical terms, those penalties changed little: the AMR26 had already locked out the final row on outright qualifying pace.
It was arguably Aston Martin’s poorest qualifying performance of the season so far. At Silverstone the team had lacked midfield pace, but at Spa it appeared detached even from the cars Aston Martin would normally regard as its immediate competitors.
A Difficult Race from the Beginning
Both Aston Martins started the 44-lap Grand Prix on the hard tyre, joining several other drivers beginning from the rear of the field. At the front, Kimi Antonelli recovered from briefly losing the lead to Max Verstappen and went on to win for Mercedes. Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari, with Verstappen completing the podium after an opening-lap incident eliminated George Russell and brought out an early Safety Car. For Aston Martin, there was no comparable opportunity to move forward.
Alonso and Stroll spent the race towards the rear, unable to challenge consistently for positions or take advantage of the early interruption. The team concentrated on operational execution, strategy and collecting information rather than expecting to compete for points. Mike Krack later acknowledged that Aston Martin simply did not have the performance needed to fight the cars ahead. The team attempted to maximise the areas it could control, but the fundamental limitation remained the pace of the AMR26.
Stroll Retires After 25 Laps
Stroll’s race ended after 25 laps when he began to feel a problem developing with the gearbox. Aston Martin called the Canadian into the pits and retired the car while the team investigated the issue. Stroll described the pace as broadly where Aston Martin had expected it to be and said the race had been difficult from the beginning.
It continued a troubling run of reliability problems for the second Aston Martin. Stroll had already retired in Barcelona with gearbox trouble and in Austria with a suspected ERS issue before reaching the finish at Silverstone. Spa therefore became his fourth retirement of an increasingly difficult campaign.
Alonso Reaches the Finish, Two Laps Down
Alonso continued to the chequered flag but finished 19th, completing 42 of the winner’s 44 laps. He was the final classified driver and finished behind Valtteri Bottas in the remaining Cadillac. The result brought no points and no indication that Aston Martin could naturally recover into the midfield without significant changes to the car.
Alonso’s assessment was characteristically measured. He said the team had done the best it could within the limitations of the car and had gathered useful information ahead of Hungary. That data-gathering element matters, but it should not disguise the result. Finishing two laps behind at Spa, after qualifying at the back of the grid, represents another major warning about the AMR26’s current performance level.
One Point from Ten Rounds
Aston Martin leaves Belgium 10th in the Teams’ Championship with one point. That point remains Alonso’s inherited 10th place from Monaco. Since then, the team has suffered a double retirement in Barcelona, finished last with Alonso in Austria, placed 18th and 19th at Silverstone and now recorded 19th and a retirement at Spa.
The sequence makes Aston Martin’s position increasingly clear. This is no longer simply a difficult opening phase or a temporary set-up problem. The AMR26, in its current form, is one of the least competitive cars in the field. Alonso remains 18th in the Drivers’ Championship with one point, while Stroll is 22nd and has yet to score.
Hungary Becomes the Defining Test
The Hungarian Grand Prix now carries greater significance than any previous round of Aston Martin’s season. A new AMR26 package is expected to make its debut at the Hungaroring. Krack confirmed after Spa that the team’s focus had moved immediately to Budapest and the introduction of those developments. Alonso stressed that Aston Martin must maximise every practice session in Hungary, understand the revised components and learn as much as possible about the new configuration.
It would be unrealistic to expect one upgrade to transform a backmarker into a regular points contender in a single weekend. The immediate test is more modest: can the package reduce the gap, move Aston Martin away from the final row and give Alonso and Stroll a realistic opportunity to compete with the lower midfield? Even that would represent a meaningful step after Spa.
The Belgian Grand Prix may eventually be remembered as the final race before Aston Martin began to recover. Equally, if Hungary produces little improvement, Spa will stand as evidence that the team’s problems run considerably deeper than one delayed upgrade package.
Formula 1 • Round 10 • Aston Martin Focus
Belgian Grand Prix Result Snapshot
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium • 17th–19th July 2026
Top 10
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap / Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:24:42.479 | 25 pts |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +1.952s | 18 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +11.586s | 15 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +17.245s | 12 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +18.988s | 10 |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | +23.307s | 8 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +24.014s | 6 |
| 8 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +49.140s | 4 |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +50.406s | 2 |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +76.037s | 1 |
Aston Martin Focus
| Result | Driver | Race Status | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19th |
Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Aramco |
42 laps completed Two laps behind |
Reached the chequered flag but finished as the final classified driver, with the AMR26 unable to challenge the cars ahead. |
| DNF |
Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco |
Retired after 25 laps Suspected gearbox issue |
Another reliability setback brought Stroll’s race to an early end after a difficult weekend at the rear of the field. |
FTP reading: Spa provided no improvement for Aston Martin. Alonso finished two laps behind the winner and Stroll retired after 25 laps, leaving the team dependent on its forthcoming Hungary development package for signs of meaningful progress.
Classification shown reflects the FIA provisional race result published following the Belgian Grand Prix.
FTP Summary Line
Spa brought another deeply disappointing result for Aston Martin. Alonso qualified 21st and finished 19th, two laps behind the winner, while Stroll qualified 22nd and retired after 25 laps with a suspected gearbox issue.
The AMR26 showed no realistic ability to compete for points and struggled even against the other teams at the rear of the grid. Aston Martin remains 10th in the Teams’ Championship with one point from ten races.
Hungary is now the season’s defining marker. The new development package does not need to perform a miracle, but it must demonstrate that Aston Martin can begin closing the gap and move away from the back of the Formula One field.
Images © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Race 09 - British Grand Prix (Silverstone | 4th - 5th July 2026)
Silverstone Brings No Home Comfort for Aston Martin
Aston Martin arrived at Silverstone hoping its home Grand Prix might at least offer encouragement before the next major step in the AMR26 development programme. Instead, the British Grand Prix became another difficult marker in a season that continues to test the team’s patience.
At the front, Charles Leclerc delivered Ferrari’s first victory of the 2026 season, winning a dramatic British Grand Prix ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. The race ended under Safety Car after Max Verstappen crashed late on, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli slipped back after a car issue and left Silverstone with his points lead reduced.
For Aston Martin, however, the home-race story was far less positive. Fernando Alonso finished 18th and Lance Stroll 19th, both a lap down and outside the points. It was another race where the AMR26 reached the chequered flag, but without the pace to trouble the midfield.
Alonso’s afternoon was compromised before the race had properly begun. His car came to a halt on the formation lap, and although he managed to get going again, he was forced to start from the pit lane. From there, the race became more about gathering information than fighting for position.
Both Aston Martins followed the same broad strategy, starting on Medium tyres before switching to Hards and then taking Softs during the late Safety Car period. That second stop did little to change the result, but it did at least give the team more data as it continues to work towards the next stage of the car’s development.
Stroll’s post-race comments summed up the problem. He described the car as suffering from heavy understeer and feeling unpredictable, which made it difficult to keep the AMR26 within track limits while still trying to extract performance. The Canadian eventually finished 19th, one place behind Alonso, as Aston Martin’s home Grand Prix ended without points.
The result leaves Aston Martin still on a single point after nine rounds, with Alonso’s Monaco 10th place remaining the team’s only score of the season. Silverstone was not a surprise in performance terms, but it was still a painful weekend for a team racing in front of its home crowd and based just across the road from the circuit.
The wider picture is now clear. Belgium comes next, but the major focus remains Hungary on 24th - 26th July. Aston Martin’s planned AMR26 upgrade package is expected to be one of the most important moments of its season. It may not transform the year overnight, but Silverstone showed again why the team urgently needs it to work.
Result Snapshot — British Grand Prix
| Pos | Driver | Team | Race outcome | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Race winner | Delivered Ferrari’s first win of the 2026 season and capitalised in a dramatic race that ended behind the Safety Car. |
| 2nd | George Russell | Mercedes | Finished +0.427s | A strong second place at home kept Mercedes firmly in command of the Constructors’ Championship. |
| 3rd | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | Finished +0.772s | Completed a Ferrari double podium at Silverstone and added another strong result to his 2026 campaign. |
Aston Martin Focus
| Pos | Driver | Team | Race outcome | FTP Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18th | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | Finished; 51 laps completed, one lap down | Started from the pit lane after a formation-lap systems issue. Reached the flag, but never had the pace to fight for points. |
| 19th | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Finished; 51 laps completed, one lap down | Another difficult afternoon for the AMR26, with Stroll describing heavy understeer and an unpredictable balance. |
FTP Summary Line
Silverstone offered no home-race breakthrough for Aston Martin. Alonso and Stroll both finished, but 18th and 19th underlined how far the AMR26 still has to go. With only one point from nine races, Aston Martin’s 2026 season remains in damage-limitation mode until the Hungary upgrade proves whether there is a real step forward to come.
Images © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Race 08 - Austrian Grand Prix (Red Bull Ring, Spielberg | 26th - 28th June 2026)
Aston Martin’s difficult 2026 Formula 1 season continued at the Austrian Grand Prix, with another weekend that offered very little comfort on the stopwatch or in the final classification.
At the front, George Russell delivered victory for Mercedes, holding off Max Verstappen and team-mate Kimi Antonelli at the Red Bull Ring. It was another result that strengthened Mercedes’ grip on the season and kept Antonelli at the head of the Drivers’ Championship.
For Aston Martin, however, Austria was a very different story. Fernando Alonso finished 18th, three laps down, while Lance Stroll retired after 45 laps. After the small lift of Monaco’s single point, and the disappointment of Barcelona, Austria felt like another blunt reminder that the AMR26 is still a long way from competitive. The warning signs were there from qualifying. Alonso and Stroll started 21st and 22nd, leaving Aston Martin at the very back of the field on one of the shortest laps of the season. When a car is still clearly detached on a short lap, the underlying gap becomes even harder to ignore.
From there, the race was always likely to be about survival rather than opportunity. Alonso reached the finish, but there was no realistic route into the points. Eighteenth place, three laps down, told its own story. This was not a case of a promising race being spoiled by strategy, traffic or bad luck. It was a weekend where the car simply did not have the performance to fight.
Stroll’s afternoon ended even earlier. His retirement after 45 laps, reported as a suspected ERS issue, added another reliability concern to a season that has already been heavy with technical frustration. For a team trying to build understanding and momentum around a struggling car, every lost race distance matters. It removes useful data, adds pressure and deepens the sense that Aston Martin is still firefighting rather than progressing cleanly.
The most concerning part of Austria was not just the result, but how little there was to build on. Monaco’s point had at least offered a small statistical lift, even if it came through survival and post-race penalties rather than clear pace. Barcelona then brought a double retirement. Austria brought one car home, but near the back, and the other did not make the finish.
From an FTP perspective, the honest reading is that Austria was one of Aston Martin’s clearest low points of the season so far. The AMR26 didn’t look like a car waiting to unlock a hidden result through better execution. It looked like a car waiting for major parts, major weight reduction, better drivability and a much bigger development step.
That’s why the next phase matters so much. Aston Martin hasn’t yet introduced the kind of significant upgrade package that could properly reset expectations. Until that arrives, races like Austria risk becoming repetitive: difficult qualifying, limited race pace, no points, and a post-race explanation built around learning rather than competing.
There are still reasons not to overreact completely. Formula 1 seasons can change direction once meaningful upgrades arrive, and Aston Martin’s wider project still has serious people, facilities and ambition behind it. But the current on-track reality is stark. One point from eight rounds is not just a slow start; it’s a crisis of competitiveness for a team that expected to be far further forward under the 2026 regulation reset.
Alonso remains the team’s only points scorer, thanks to Monaco. Stroll is still waiting to open his account. Aston Martin remains 10th in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead only of Cadillac, and the pressure now grows heading into Silverstone.
That home-race context makes the British Grand Prix particularly important, even if expectations must remain realistic. Silverstone will bring the spotlight, the factory story and the emotional weight of Aston Martin racing in front of its home crowd. But unless the car changes, the narrative is unlikely to change much. The team needs more than encouragement now. It needs performance.
FTP Summary Line
Austria was another painful weekend for Aston Martin, with Fernando Alonso finishing 18th and three laps down, while Lance Stroll retired after 45 laps. The AMR26 still looks trapped in survival mode, and the team heads to Silverstone needing its next upgrade package to change the tone of the season.
Images © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Race 07 - Barcelona-Catalunya GP Race Report: A Painful Reality Check for Aston Martin
After the small lift of Monaco, the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix delivered a brutal reminder of just how difficult Aston Martin Aramco’s 2026 Formula 1 season remains. This was Fernando Alonso’s home race weekend, in front of the passionate Spanish fans who have followed him for more than two decades. It should’ve been one of the emotional high points of the season. Instead, it became another weekend defined by lack of pace, reliability concerns and the growing wait for the team’s expected summer upgrade package.
Aston Martin arrived in Barcelona knowing the circuit was likely to expose the AMR26’s weaknesses. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is one of Formula 1’s most complete tests: long corners, high-speed direction changes, tyre degradation, a long main straight and heavy demand on aerodynamic balance. If a car lacks downforce, power delivery or stability, Barcelona usually finds it. Unfortunately for Aston Martin, that’s exactly what happened.
Qualifying Left Aston at the Back
The weekend had already started badly before the race began. Lance Stroll qualified 21st, while Fernando Alonso was 22nd, leaving both Aston Martins at the rear of the field. Alonso had spoken after qualifying about downshifting issues and how difficult the car had been to drive, while Stroll pointed to drivability problems, lack of downforce and a shortage of power. Mike Krack also accepted that Barcelona had exposed the team’s true pace.
That made Sunday a race of limitation rather than opportunity. The team opted for an alternative strategy, with both drivers starting on the hard tyre. Alonso, however, had to start from the pit lane after Aston Martin made power-unit-related changes to his car.
Lance Stroll: Early Gearbox Retirement
Stroll’s race was over almost before it had properly begun. Starting from 21st, the Canadian was called into the pits after only a handful of laps due to a gearbox issue. He later explained that he couldn’t select third or fourth gear in the final laps before retirement. It was a particularly frustrating outcome because, on a weekend when outright pace was already poor, Aston Martin badly needed race mileage, data and a clean run to understand the car. Instead, one AMR26 was out almost immediately.
Stroll’s assessment was simple but telling: there’s still a lot of work to do, and until the planned upgrade package arrives around the summer break, the team knows the difficult weekends are likely to continue.
Fernando Alonso: Home Race Ends with Battery Issue
Alonso’s race lasted longer, but the final outcome was the same. Starting from the pit lane, he ran the opening stint on the hard tyre and stayed out until the end of Lap 22 before switching to another set of hards. For a time, he was able to circulate and fight in the lower order, including with Sergio Perez’s Cadillac, but there was never any realistic prospect of points.
Then came the retirement. Alonso parked the car after 37 laps with a battery issue, ending what may be remembered as a deeply disappointing home race weekend. For the Spanish fans, it was a painful sight. Alonso had thanked them throughout the weekend for their support, and Aston Martin’s official reaction made clear how much the team appreciated seeing green in the grandstands. But Alonso himself admitted the team could not give the supporters what they wanted. That is perhaps the saddest part of the weekend. The emotion was there, the support was there, the performance was not.
A Race Won Elsewhere, But Aston Still Waiting
At the front, the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix had its own major story, with Lewis Hamilton taking victory for Ferrari ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris. But for Aston Martin, this was not a race about trophies, podiums or strategy brilliance. It was about survival, diagnosis and patience.
The contrast with Le Mans weekend could hardly have been sharper. While Aston Martin’s Valkyrie and Vantage programmes were delivering endurance racing progress in France, the Formula 1 team was facing another difficult Sunday in Spain. It shows two very different Aston Martin motorsport stories unfolding at once. In endurance racing, the Valkyrie programme is visibly building momentum. In Formula 1, Aston Martin Aramco is still trying to get on top of the AMR26’s most fundamental limitations.
What It Means
Barcelona didn’t bring any points. It didn’t bring a finish for either driver. It didn’t bring evidence of a short-term turnaround. What it did bring was clarity.
The team already knew Barcelona would be a difficult circuit, and the result confirmed the scale of the challenge. The AMR26 continues to suffer from a combination of performance and reliability problems, with downforce, drivability, gearbox behaviour, battery performance and power-unit integration all part of the wider picture.
For Alonso, the home support remained the one bright spot. For Stroll, the early gearbox retirement was another painful missed opportunity. For the team, attention now turns to regrouping before Austria and continuing the push towards the upgrade package expected around the summer break.
After Monaco, there was at least one point on the board. After Barcelona, there’s no escaping the reality: Aston Martin’s 2026 Formula 1 recovery is still waiting to begin properly.
For now, the message is patience. The team understands many of the weaknesses, the drivers are still fighting, the fans are still there. But until the promised upgrades arrive, weekends like Barcelona may remain part of the painful road back.
FTP Summary Line
Barcelona was a painful reality check for Aston Martin: Alonso’s home race ended with a battery issue, Stroll retired early with gearbox trouble, and the AMR26’s difficult start to 2026 continued.
Images © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Race 06 - Monaco, Aston Martin finally scores, but Monaco doesn’t hide the bigger AMR26 problem
The 2026 Monaco Grand Prix delivered the kind of drama only Monaco can produce: a dominant winner, late Safety Cars, a red flag, penalties, track-surface concerns and a heavily reshuffled points order. At the front, Kimi Antonelli continued his remarkable start to the season, taking victory for Mercedes ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari and Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull. It was Antonelli’s fifth consecutive Grand Prix win and another clear sign that Mercedes currently has the strongest package in the early phase of the 2026 season.
The race changed shape late on. Lance Stroll crashed at Anthony Noghes on lap 60, bringing out the first Safety Car, before Charles Leclerc then crashed at the same corner. The FIA halted the race while debris was cleared and the track surface was inspected, with the governing body noting that a recently resurfaced section at the final corner had degraded and left asphalt debris on the racing line. After a lengthy stoppage, the race resumed for a short sprint to the flag, with Antonelli controlling the restart and completing the win.
For Aston Martin, Monaco finally produced the team’s first point of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Fernando Alonso had originally crossed the line 11th, but Sergio Perez was later penalised after the restart procedure, dropping the Cadillac driver from 10th to 15th and promoting Alonso into the final points-paying position. That gave Alonso 10th place and Aston Martin its first championship point of the year.
Alonso’s race was a reminder of why Monaco can still reward experience and opportunism, even when outright car performance is lacking. Aston Martin went aggressive early, stopping Alonso on lap three and committing to a strategy that required him to keep the car alive, stay out of trouble and then take advantage when the race came back towards him. The late Safety Car and red flag helped, but Alonso still had to manage the restarts and avoid the mistakes that caught out others. His reward was modest in pure championship terms, but important symbolically: Aston Martin is no longer pointless in 2026.
The other side of Aston Martin’s afternoon was far less positive. Stroll’s crash ended his race and triggered the first major late-race interruption. He said afterwards that the team had been dealing with drivability issues throughout the season, particularly inconsistent acceleration and deceleration, and that Monaco’s barriers leave no margin when the car behaves unpredictably. Mike Krack also said Aston Martin would investigate Stroll’s retirement, noting possible deceleration-phase issues and the breaking-up track surface as factors to review.
So while the headline is positive; Aston Martin scores its first point of the season, the underlying picture remains difficult. Alonso’s 10th place was earned through patience, survival and race management rather than a clear step forward in pace. Monaco rewarded the team for staying alert when others made mistakes, but it didn’t suddenly transform the AMR26 into a competitive midfield car.
For Fuel the Passion, the reading is honest but not dismissive. This was a useful result, and the first point with Honda power is a milestone worth noting. But Aston Martin still needs more than isolated opportunities created by chaotic races. As the championship moves on to Barcelona, the real question is whether the team can turn Monaco’s small reward into genuine performance progress.
FTP Summary Line
Monaco finally gave Aston Martin its first point of the 2026 Formula 1 season through Fernando Alonso’s 10th place, but the result came from survival, race management and late-race chaos rather than a genuine AMR26 breakthrough.
Images © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Race 05 - Canada
The Canadian Grand Prix offered Aston Martin a brief moment of encouragement, but not the result the team needed. After a difficult qualifying session, Fernando Alonso started 19th and Lance Stroll started from the pitlane after a battery change on his AMR26. Conditions were awkward at the start, with rain having fallen before the race and track temperatures much lower than the previous day, but the surface had dried enough for both Aston Martins to begin on Soft tyres.
Alonso made the better start. Aston Martin reported that he was already up to P14 by the end of Lap 1, and Alonso later said he had a good start and was “fighting into the top ten positions”. That’s probably the fairest way to describe it for FTP: not a confirmed points run, but a genuine early-race recovery from the back end of the grid into the edge of the top-ten battle.
The promise unfortunately didn’t last. Alonso pitted on Lap 21 for another set of Soft tyres, but after 23 laps he retired with what Aston Martin described as a seat issue. Mike Krack said the problem was making Alonso uncomfortable in the cockpit, so the team chose to retire the car on Lap 24. Alonso said the team had made the right call starting on Softs, but the seat problem ended his race early.
Stroll’s race was more straightforward but still outside the points. He pitted on Lap 16 for fresh Softs, then stopped again under the Virtual Safety Car on Lap 53 for Medium tyres. Aston Martin described his afternoon as a conventional two-stop race, and he ultimately finished 15th, four laps down. Stroll said it had been a difficult weekend, with the team struggling for grip and straight-line pace.
At the front, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli took another victory after George Russell retired from the lead fight with a power-unit issue. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finished second, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull. For Aston Martin, though, Canada kept the same broad theme as the opening part of the season: occasional signs of improvement, but still no points and no sustained race pace.
Aston Martin’s latest official Canadian GP reaction is clear and quite measured: Lance finished P15, Fernando retired because of a seat issue, and the team acknowledged it simply doesn’t have enough pace at the moment. Krack’s key line was that the team made a decent start with both drivers gaining ground, but “unfortunately, we do not have more pace at the moment and this is our position.”
The next stop is Monaco, a very different challenge and one where outright straight-line speed matters less than confidence, traction, braking stability and precision. For Aston Martin, that could make the weekend especially interesting. The AMR26 still needs a clear step forward, but Monaco may offer a better opportunity to understand whether the team can put Alonso and Stroll closer to the midfield fight when qualifying, track position and race execution become even more important than usual.
FTP Summary Line
Canada gave Aston Martin a brief early flash of promise through Fernando Alonso’s opening-lap progress into the points, but the weekend ultimately ended without reward: Lance Stroll finished 15th, while Alonso retired after 23 laps with a seat issue.
Images © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Race 04 - Miami
The fourth Grand Prix of the 2026 Formula 1 season took the championship to Miami, where Kimi Antonelli continued his remarkable early-season run with a third consecutive Grand Prix victory for Mercedes. Antonelli won ahead of Lando Norris for McLaren, with Oscar Piastri completing the podium after passing Charles Leclerc late on. George Russell finished fourth, Max Verstappen fifth, and Lewis Hamilton inherited sixth after Leclerc received a post-race penalty.
For Aston Martin, Miami was another non-scoring weekend, though both cars reached the finish. Fernando Alonso started 17th and finished 15th, one lap down. Lance Stroll started 18th and finished 17th, also one lap down. That gave Aston Martin a cleaner race distance than the opening rounds, but not a competitive result. The team left Miami still without points after four completed Grands Prix.
The race itself was eventful, with early incidents for Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly bringing out the Safety Car, while Verstappen and Leclerc both received penalties. Alonso was noted by the stewards for a yellow-flag infringement during the race, but the final classification still placed him 15th. From an Aston Martin point of view, the most important fact is simple: the AMR26 completed the race with both cars, but remained too far from the points-paying positions to change the competitive picture.
From a Fuel the Passion perspective, Miami was a small reliability step but not a performance step. After the difficult opening run of Australia, China and Japan, getting both Aston Martins to the flag was useful. But finishing 15th and 17th, still one lap down and still scoreless, shows that the team’s Formula 1 story remains one of recovery work rather than momentum. The next race in Canada now becomes another checkpoint for whether Aston Martin can turn race finishes into genuine progress.
FTP Summary Line
Aston Martin left Miami with both cars classified, which was a cleaner outcome than some of the opening races, but still without points. Alonso finished 15th and Stroll 17th, both one lap down, leaving Aston Martin 11th in the constructors’ standings and still waiting for its first score of the 2026 season.
Images © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Race 03 - Japanese GP
The third Grand Prix of the 2026 Formula 1 season took place at Suzuka, where Kimi Antonelli continued Mercedes’ strong opening run by taking victory ahead of Oscar Piastri for McLaren and Charles Leclerc for Ferrari. George Russell finished fourth in the second Mercedes, with Lando Norris fifth for McLaren. It left Mercedes with another race win and confirmed Antonelli as one of the early headline stories of the season.
For Aston Martin, Japan was still a difficult weekend, but it did at least bring the team’s first chequered flag of the season. Fernando Alonso started 21st and finished 18th, one lap down, while Lance Stroll started 22nd and retired after 30 laps. The official race result listed Alonso 18th and Stroll as not classified, with both cars again outside the points.
The Aston Martin race was largely fought at the back of the field. Honda’s official race report noted that Alonso made a strong start, while Stroll also gained ground on the opening lap. The two Aston Martins then ran close together before the Safety Car period following Oliver Bearman’s crash, after which both cars pitted. Stroll was later called into the garage with a suspected issue, while Alonso continued and brought the car home despite a late off at the final chicane.
From a Fuel the Passion perspective, Suzuka was not a result to overstate. Aston Martin remained without points and without competitive pace. But after Australia and China had both ended without a classified finish, Alonso reaching the flag did represent a small but genuine step in terms of reliability and race-distance learning. The honest reading is that Japan gave Aston Martin something to build from, but not yet anything that looked like meaningful competitiveness.
FTP Summary Line
Aston Martin left Japan still without points, but with Alonso securing the team’s first race finish of the season. It was a small reliability step after two very difficult opening rounds, though Stroll’s retirement and the lack of pace showed how much work remained before Miami.
Images © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Race 02 - Chinese GP
The second Grand Prix of the 2026 Formula 1 season took the championship to Shanghai, where Kimi Antonelli claimed his first Formula 1 victory for Mercedes. After starting from pole, Antonelli briefly lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton at the start, but retook control before the end of Lap 2 and went on to win by 5.515 seconds from team-mate George Russell. Hamilton completed the podium for Ferrari, ahead of Charles Leclerc, while Oliver Bearman finished fifth for Haas.
For Aston Martin, China brought another difficult Sunday. Lance Stroll retired after just nine laps, his stranded car at Turn 1 causing the race’s only Safety Car period. Fernando Alonso lasted longer, completing 32 laps before also retiring. The official classification listed both Aston Martins as not classified, with Alonso and Stroll leaving Shanghai without points.
The wider race was marked by attrition as well as Antonelli’s breakthrough. Max Verstappen also failed to finish, while both McLarens, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, did not start after separate power-unit electrical issues. That wider context matters, but it does not soften Aston Martin’s position: in a race where reliability and survival could have offered opportunity, both AMR26s retired and the team left the second round still without a point.
From a Fuel the Passion perspective, the Chinese Grand Prix reinforced the early-season pattern rather than changed it. Australia had been a difficult opening chapter built around mileage and data-gathering; China was harder to frame positively because both cars again failed to reach the finish. At this stage, Aston Martin’s F1 story remained one of reliability, performance shortfall and the need to turn race weekends into usable progress before the season began to move away from them.
FTP Summary Line
Aston Martin left China with a second consecutive non-scoring weekend and another double non-classification. Stroll’s early retirement brought out the Safety Car, Alonso also failed to finish, and the team’s difficult start to 2026 continued without points or a clear competitive step forward.
Images © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Race 01 - Australian GP
The 2026 Formula 1 season began at Albert Park with Mercedes taking early control of the championship narrative. George Russell won the Australian Grand Prix for Mercedes, with team-mate Kimi Antonelli second and Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari, while Lando Norris completed the top five for McLaren. For Aston Martin, however, the opening round was less about points and more about getting the AMR26 through meaningful running after a disrupted build-up.
Fernando Alonso started 17th and made an excellent opening lap, climbing to 10th by the end of Lap 1. That was the high point of Aston Martin’s race. Alonso later had to return to the pits for checks, briefly rejoined to gather further mileage, and was ultimately listed as not classified after completing 21 laps. Lance Stroll started from the back after missing qualifying, following an issue in FP3, and completed 43 laps before also being classified as not classified, 15 laps down.
The team’s own race reaction made clear that Australia was being treated partly as a learning exercise. Aston Martin said its drivers gathered information over a combined 64 laps, while Alonso described the start as the best part of his race and said the team had collected useful data from procedures that had been difficult to practise properly during the troubled pre-season and Melbourne weekend. Stroll also described the race as “like a practice session” for the team, with the aim of getting laps and trying different solutions.
From a Fuel the Passion perspective, this was not a race to dress up as progress in the normal competitive sense. Aston Martin left Australia with no points, no classified finish, and clear reliability and performance questions still to answer. But the weekend did at least provide mileage, pit-stop practice, race starts, and data for a team that had arrived in Melbourne short of clean running. The honest reading is that Australia was a difficult opening chapter, but also the first proper baseline from which Aston Martin could begin to measure whether the AMR26 could be made more reliable and more competitive over the following rounds.
FTP Summary Line
Aston Martin left Australia without points or a classified finish, but with valuable early mileage after a deeply disrupted opening weekend. Alonso’s first lap showed instinct and racecraft; the wider result showed how much work still lay ahead.
Images © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
Image © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.