RacingPedro de la Rosa says Aston Martin did not expect to start 2026 like this, and the bluntest part of his message is not about a quick fix for Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll or the Honda-powered AMR26. It is that, with the team buried at the back and far off the pace, Alonso’s attitude inside Aston Martin may be the strongest thing it has right now.
Speaking in interviews and media remarks reported by AS and other outlets, De la Rosa, Aston Martin team ambassador, described a team dealing with a much bigger problem than a bad weekend or a missed setup. One summary of the season start called the Adrian Newey-led 2026 car "possibly the worst car currently on the grid," and another said the AMR26 has shown problems "in all areas" and is about four seconds per lap off the pace.
Honda is working on vibrations and power, according to the reported summaries, while Aston Martin is trying to improve the chassis, aerodynamics, downforce and the car’s operating window. De la Rosa, Aston Martin team ambassador, said in comments reported by the media that the scale of the setback caught the team by surprise. "To begin with, we did not expect to be where we are now. We expected to be much more competitive. Therefore, it has been hard to accept," he said in remarks reported in the summaries.
That is where Alonso comes into the story. De la Rosa, Aston Martin team ambassador, said in an interview with AS that working with the two-time world champion is "a luxury" and "a source of inspiration." He said Alonso has stayed engaged while the team works through what he called a difficult situation. "He is not a disappointed Fernando or anything like that, he simply says: 'We have to work, and I am here.' This is a great leader," De la Rosa said in the interview with AS.
De la Rosa also said the team has stayed calm and united. In comments reported in the summaries, he said Aston Martin has been mitigating the vibration issue since Barcelona testing and has made progress each time the drivers have been in the car. He also said a lot of work is happening behind the scenes, even if that is hard to see from the outside.
Any expectation that Miami will bring a reset was knocked down by De la Rosa himself. He said in reported media comments that the update planned for the first weekend of May is a normal, pre-planned step, mainly aimed at reliability. "We will see in Miami where we are, but there is no secret in this sport," De la Rosa said in comments reported by the media. "There is no new beginning. In F1 there are no new beginnings, there is constant development." He added that the package was planned before the break and is focused above all on improving reliability so the drivers can finish races comfortably.
He also made clear Aston Martin does not want to sell hope it cannot back up. De la Rosa, Aston Martin team ambassador, said in comments reported by the media that the frustration of the fans is the frustration of the whole team. "What I do not want is to create false hope. The only thing I can promise is work and, from there, the races will dictate whether it was more and better than the rest, but we promise a lot of work," he said in those reported comments.