It was a tale of two emotions for Christian Horner and Red Bull in Bahrain. On one hand they left without an almost certain win, bringing massive frustration after suffering similar problems in 2009 – problems which lots them the title.
Nonetheless, they also left Bahrain with a sense of confidence. They had the quickest car by far in qualifying and the race, had it not been for a spark-plug issue, the team would have won.
“We had fantastic pace in qualifying and the race and Sebastian was controlling the race very well until lap 33 when he had a sudden loss of power,” Horner told the official F1 website.
“Even with this misfortune we had demonstrated that we have a quick car and P4 is still valuable in the championship.
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-120x86.webp)
“Ultimately it is very frustrating, but we’ve got the reassurance that we’ve got the pace. This is something that we can build on.
“It is always frustrating when you are in control of the race, your driver is comfortable with his pace in the car and then to have an unexpected problem. If that is not frustrating, what is?”
Red Bull will undoubtedly be hoping the problem in the Renault engine was a once off case, however looking back to last year, it would seem the same gremlins could also be the teams 2010’s downfall.
Mark Webber also suffered an engine issue at the start of the race, which saw a huge plume of smoke exit the car after turn one, blinding the opposition.
When asked what the smoke was, and if it was tactical warfare, Horner replied “Ha, we didn’t think about that. But honestly, I have no idea. You have to ask Renault.”
Despite the frustration, Horner is happy with the car’s pace, and thrilled by Vettel’s performance, even with his problem.
“He had corner speeds that were almost beyond gravity. He was driving flawlessly, without even the slightest mistake. Sebastian had controlled the race and after lap three we were able to reduce on fuel because it was not necessary.
“Thankfully it wasn’t a DNF. So yes, we left Bahrain without a win, but with the knowledge that we have a fast car, both cars were in the points and we have a lot to be optimistic about.”
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-350x250.webp)
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