RacingMartin Brundle says Aston Martin’s 2026 Formula 1 problem runs so deep that Fernando Alonso’s team is unlikely to make real progress before 2027. On the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast, the former F1 driver and Sky Sports analyst described Aston Martin’s season as a “nightmare” and a “horror show” after three rounds left the Honda-backed works team at the bottom of the constructors’ standings.
Brundle’s verdict was blunt because the gap is not small. He said on the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast that Aston Martin has “neither speed nor reliability,” and he tied the problems to both the chassis and Honda’s power unit. “In the days of relentless Formula 1 championship calendars and cost caps, it's going to be very difficult to turn that around in the time,” Brundle, former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst, said on the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast. He then pointed to Honda’s side of the project too: “They've got to get the right people in at Honda, get the right direction,” Brundle, former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst, said on the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast.
That scale showed up clearly at Suzuka. Alonso and Lance Stroll locked out the back row in qualifying, with Alonso just under 3.9 seconds slower than pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes and Stroll more than 4.1 seconds off the pace, according to the summary of Brundle’s comments. Brundle, former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst, said on the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast that Aston Martin is “missing three, four seconds sometimes per lap” and is “like a different category” compared with the front-runners.
The race offered little relief. Aston Martin completed a grand prix distance for the first time this season in Japan, according to the race summary, but Alonso still finished 18th and a lap down. Stroll retired on lap 30 with a water pressure issue, according to the race summary, after calling his fight with Alonso “our own Aston Martin championship,” Stroll, Aston Martin driver, said via team radio during the race.
Brundle’s timeline was the part that landed hardest. “It's not going to improve until 2027. It's a horror show, and we're just going to have to observe that pain,” Brundle, former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst, said on the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast. He did add that Aston Martin will improve “to an extent,” but his overall point did not change: with this much lap time missing and the current rules limiting how fast teams can react, he does not see a quick rescue.
David Croft backed up that longer view. On the Sky Sports F1 Show, the Sky Sports commentator said Aston Martin may not get a B-spec car until Spa in July rather than Silverstone. “They are going to struggle all season until the chassis can accommodate the power unit, the power unit can stop vibrating so much,” Croft, Sky Sports F1 commentator, said on the Sky Sports F1 Show. He was even more direct about points. “Can I see them scoring a point? Not unless 12 other cars retire at the moment,” Croft, Sky Sports F1 commentator, said on the Sky Sports F1 Show.