![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)
Patrick Head, Director of Engineering: “We have a few imbalances on set-up to attend to, but we will address those tonight. Rubens’ had an engine problem in P1 which resulted in a change for the afternoon, but it is not something which concerns us for tomorrow. The option is looking sensitive on high fuel, so there could be some interesting strategies in qualifying and during the race on Sunday.”
Rubens Barrichello – 15th: “Today we had a few set-up issues so the car didn’t perform as we would have liked it to. We have a lot of work to do, but we will make it happen.”
Nico Hulkenberg – 12th: “That was an ok Friday. The first session was pretty tricky and I wasn’t too happy with the car, but it felt more together in the second session after we adjusted the balance. We aren’t exactly where we want to be at the moment; it is really competitive out there this weekend and we need to find a couple of tenths in the set-up. We will see what we can do overnight and during P3 in time for qualifying.”
![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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