Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is well aware of his team’s ambitious targets in Formula 1, saying the Silverstone-based squad “want to be champions” as 2026 represents “a big opportunity.”
Things started off rosy for Alonso and Aston Martin in 2023 as the Spaniard romped to six podium finishes in the opening eight rounds, before the team fell down the pecking order as the season progressed.
Aston Martin has been unable to kick on from its early 2023 promise this term and looks set to consolidate fifth in the Constructors standings when F1 resumes after the summer break with Alonso yet to return to the podium so far in 2024.
Alonso, who is known to grow impatient with teams if performance doesn’t come his way, remains optimistic however, as he knows the future is bright for a team with lofty ambitions.
“I’m enjoying the journey,” Alonso said.
“We want to be champions. We want to be competitive next year and also take the big opportunity in 2026.
“It’s not the time to be frustrated. It’s time to enjoy the process of becoming a big team.”
Aston Martin’s “process” to progress toward the front of the Formula 1 grid is multi-faceted.
From the end of this year, the team will no longer rely on Mercedes’ wind tunnel at Brackley, with its own state-of-the-art facility coming online at Silverstone, along with a sophisticated simulator system.
Moreover, Aston Martin will enter a Honda works engine partnership in 2026 and has fuel giant Aramco to develop its sustainable fuel technologies with, a vital component of the incoming power unit regulation change.
On a staffing front, Aston Martin will welcome former Ferrari Chassis Technical Director Enrico Cardile as its new Chief Technical Officer from 2025 and is in pole position to sign design legend Adrian Newey.
With a multi-year contract in his pocket, Alonso will be able to reap all the benefits of Aston Martin’s changes in 2026.
At the present moment, Alonso is ninth in the Drivers’ standings on 49 points, 67 behind eighth-placed Geroge Russell, and Aston Martin is fifth in the Constructors’ standings on 73 points, 193 behind fourth-placed Mercedes.
The Spaniard revealed he’s not frustrated to be languishing in F1’s mid-pack, finding that being at the top and missing out on Championship glory is a harder pill to swallow.
“I think it’s the nature of the sport,” he explained.
“At the end of the day, we are not happy with our position, that’s for sure.
“But in December, only one guy will be happy. Probably the second guy will be more frustrated than me in Abu Dhabi, the third guy and the fourth and things like that.
“So that’s the nature of the sport.”
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