Carlos Sainz has revealed he has spoken with Fernando Alonso over the “complicated” starts both Williams and Aston Martin have endured to Formula 1‘s latest era.
Both Sainz and Alonso entered the 2026 regulations reset with optimistic outlooks.
Williams finished fifth in the Constructors’ last year, eager to build on the positive momentum entering the sport’s latest era.
The Silverstone-based team on the other hand was buoyed by the arrival of Adrian Newey, a works Honda engine deal and a new state-of-the-art Wind Tunnel in its factory premises.
That said, the three pre-season test events at Barcelona and Bahrain have not gone exactly to plan for either of the Spanish-born drivers.
Williams missed the opening private shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in January, after having reportedly failed the FIA’s mandated crash tests whilst also battling an overweight FW48.
Alonso and Aston Martin did make it to Barcelona but enjoyed only limited running. Across the further two, three-day, events at the Bahrain International Circuit, it could not exceed a total of 400 laps over the allocated nine days of testing.
Aston Martin also struggled to iron out persistent gremlins with the Honda power unit and its gearbox – something that the team has developed on its own for the 2026 regulations.
‘Ability to react’ key to F1 success, asserts Carlos Sainz
Sainz revealed that his compatriot’s shared misery gave them enough to talk about when their paths crossed in the paddock.
“I ran into Fernando one day in the paddock and we talked for a good 20 minutes, catching up a bit,” he told Mundo Deportivo.
“And well, he’s in a similar situation to me, not ideal, complicated, but eager to see what his team is capable of bringing and to see his team’s ability to react.”
While the duo of Sainz and Alonso will hope to be locked in battle for points throughout the 2026 season, the former Red Bull junior hopes nothing but the best for his rival.
Sainz insisted that he wishes the two-time World Champion the best while remarking that the key for the pair to progress on the grid this year would be the “reaction capacity” of their respective teams.
“In the end, we both depend on nothing more and nothing less than seeing the reaction capacity we have in our team to the complicated situation in which each of us finds ourselves,” he added.
“But I also wish him all the best, and I hope that Aston Martin and Honda improve on what they showed in Bahrain.”
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