RacingJolyon Palmer says Fernando Alonso is effectively a test driver right now, not a racer, after Aston Martin finally reached the flag at Suzuka. Speaking after the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, Palmer argued the AMR26 is so far off that Alonso and Lance Stroll are gathering data each weekend while the team trails the field. Even with the AMR26 the first car developed by Adrian Newey, Aston Martin sits behind Cadillac F1 with zero points after three races.
Suzuka told the story. Alonso qualified 21st, well adrift of Q2, and finished outside the points. Palmer said on F1 Nation that merely getting to the finish does not count as progress in this state. The results back that up. Three rounds in, the green cars are scoreless and chasing a baseline rather than race pace.
Palmer laid out the roots of the slump in blunt terms on the podcast. He said the AMR26 lacks downforce and carries extra weight thanks to a far-from-ideal chassis. On top of that, Honda’s power unit is roughly 70 horsepower down, which has forced Aston Martin to focus on drivability and reliability before any search for lap time. That mix limits setup freedom and leaves the drivers short on straight-line speed and confidence.
The knock-on effect is a change in how Alonso and Stroll spend their weekends. According to Palmer, both are in constant test-and-report mode, cycling through parts and settings to map the car rather than tune for a result. At Suzuka, Alonso’s restrained demeanor fit that picture. He kept his head down, logged the laps, and even shared a warm greeting with Honda’s president in the paddock, a small scene that underlined the reality of a team working through problems rather than fighting for points.
Palmer’s wider warning was stark. Despite Newey’s arrival shaping the AMR26, the project needs rapid upgrades across aero, weight, and engine integration to match Aston Martin’s aims. A quick fix looks unlikely. When a car is down on grip and power, and the team is still chasing reliability, the path back involves steady iteration rather than one magic part.
For now, the scoreboard frames the task. Zero points after three races, behind a newcomer in Cadillac, and a driver of Alonso’s experience spending Sundays learning the car instead of attacking. The priority is clear. Stabilize the package, lift the power unit’s performance window, and add downforce without piling on weight. Until those steps land, Palmer’s verdict stands: Alonso is gathering data, and Aston Martin is playing catch-up.