Fernando Alonso finds himself in a "hard mental place" according to Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey, as the British squad's nightmare start to the 2026 season continued at the Australian Grand Prix.
The team's practice sessions exposed the full scale of their crisis, with their car finishing a staggering 4.9 seconds adrift of the frontrunners.
Persistent Honda engine reliability issues restricted Aston Martin to just 17 laps throughout the opening day in Melbourne.
The two-time world champion missed the first practice session entirely due to a power-unit failure.
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Such a deficit is unprecedented for a team backed by billionaire funding and boasting one of motorsport's greatest designers at the helm.
This situation carries painful echoes for the 44-year-old Spaniard, who endured three frustrating seasons with Honda power at McLaren between 2015 and 2017 before that partnership collapsed.
Beyond the performance woes, both Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll now face potential health concerns, with revelations on Thursday that engine vibrations pose a risk of nerve damage to the drivers.
Aston Martin are in crisis ahead of the Australian Grand Prix
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Whether the car can even finish Sunday's race remains deeply uncertain given the ongoing technical troubles.
Newey's own Red Bull machinery denied Alonso at least two additional championship victories during his Ferrari tenure in 2010 and 2012, making their long-awaited collaboration all the more bittersweet under these circumstances.
Despite the current turmoil, Newey spoke glowingly of his driver's exceptional qualities.
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F1 facts fans might not know | GETTY/GBNEWS"Fernando is one of the true greats. His ability, his talent, his all-round capability, he should have won, in truth, far more than the two championships he has to his name and however many races wins," Newey said.
The team principal noted that Alonso shows no signs of decline at 44, highlighting his sharp eyesight and boasting that he recorded the fastest reaction times off the starting line last season.
Newey acknowledged the team had anticipated difficulties, describing 2026 as a "build year" following a compressed development schedule on the chassis, but admitted the engine problems had created an unwelcome distraction.
The root cause of Honda's struggles traces back to their decision to withdraw from Formula One in 2021, only to reverse course when new regulations were announced for this season.
Adrian Newey knows Aston Martin have a huge job on their hands to turn things around
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Newey revealed the team only learned of the engine problems in November, when he visited Honda's Tokyo headquarters alongside owner Lawrence Stroll and strategy chief Andy Cowell to address rumours about power targets.
"Out of that came the fact that many of the original workforce had not returned when they restarted," Newey explained, estimating that roughly 30 per cent of the original engineering team came back, with many former staff having moved into other industries such as solar energy.
Competitors had continued development through 2021-22 without budget restrictions, leaving Honda unable to close the gap.
How Aston Martin fare on Sunday, when the Australian Grand Prix commences, remains to be seen.