The Aston Martin era for Fernando Alonso started promisingly with as many as eight podium finishes, but after two years, the Spaniard is experiencing his worst season start since 2017, and there are few signs that the AMR25 can mix with the top teams anytime soon. Alonso acknowledges that he had envisioned a different start to the season and anticipates another ‘tough weekend’ in Miami.
Fernando Alonso currently ranks seventeenth in the drivers’ championship. The Spaniard has not scored a single point this season – for the first time since 2017, he is stuck at zero after five races. Teammate Lance Stroll has had a better start to the season with 10 points, earned in Australia and China.
As a result, Aston Martin occupies the seventh spot in the constructors’ championship, but the figures mask the underlying problems: the competitiveness of the AMR25 is a concern, and the team also needs to look down, as it is only four points above the tail of the ranking. “We are not as competitive as we want to be, we thought we would be, but I don’t think there’s just one theme,” Alonso tells the media ahead of the sprint weekend in Miami. “There are a few factors that make the car a bit difficult at the moment, in terms of pace. We may not be as fast as some midfield teams, who have taken a step forward and are closer to the top four, a step we have not made.”
Tough Weekend
Alonso indicates that the team needs to improve to make progress. “We need to respond, we need to do better, and hopefully, we will take a step forward in the coming races, but it is harder than expected.”
The 43-year-old racer, however, is skeptical about the possibility of a quick improvement in Miami. “I think Miami has never really been a good circuit for us. Even in 2013, when I finished on the podium, we only came to life in the qualification, as all the free practices were not competitive by our standards at the beginning of that year,” he says. “Even last year, we started the season strong, especially in the qualifications, but Miami was tough. We’ll see if we can change that this year, but it could certainly be a challenging weekend.”
Hope on the Horizon
As for next year’s car, Alonso is ‘not too worried’. “I think this season is simply a continuation of a number of problems we’ve encountered over the past two years. We simply failed to overcome some obstacles.”
Moreover, Aston Martin has poached Adrian Newey, the man behind the design of twelve cars that have won the constructors’ championship, from Red Bull and appointed him as the new technical partner of the team. “For next year, with the new regulations and Adrian on board, I think nothing from this year’s car is being carried over into the 2026 project. So it’s a complete reset, which is why I’m not too worried about next year. As for this season, I think the solution is not simple and we can’t solve the problem overnight.”
