Fernando Alonso has opened up on the “pain” he is feeling amid Aston Martin and Honda’s disastrous start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The two-time world champion was forced to retire from the Chinese Grand Prix after 33 laps due to excessive vibrations in his Aston Martin.
Aston Martin has endured a torrid start to F1’s new regulations and has been plagued by reliability problems with its new Honda power unit since pre-season testing.
Extreme vibrations in the AMR26 have prevented Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll from completing a race distance in the opening two races in Australia and China.
Alonso revealed after the race in Shanghai that he was starting to lose the feeling in his hands and feet, such was the severity of the vibrations inside the cockpit.
Following the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey stated that Alonso is in a “hard mental place” amid the Silverstone-based squad’s struggles.
Asked how tough the current reality is for him in the build up to the weekend in China, Alonso replied: “Less tough than what you think. I mean, not ideal.
“We all want to win. We are 22 drivers this year. One will win, 21 will be in a difficult and tough mental state, because for me to finish third or fifth or 17th, it really doesn’t matter much.
“I was lucky enough and privileged enough to live different eras n Formula 1 and to have fun driving, and eventually super lucky to have competitive cars for half of my career and achieving more than 100 podiums in the category.
“So now to finish in any other position that is not first, for me it’s the same pain and the same struggle.
“Obviously, we are now in this journey with the team, which is not the ideal start, but it’s the first year of this collaboration between Aston Martin and Honda and we have to go through this moment in time, and I’m ready to help as much as I can.”
Questions about Alonso’s F1 future have been raised with the Spaniard’s hopes of securing an elusive third world championship all but over this season.
Alonso will turn 45 this year and his contract expires at the end of the season. At this stage it is unclear whether he will continue in F1.
