There’s a chance Fernando Alonso could turn out to be a surprise factor in this season’s drivers’ championship race, despite all the early buzz surrounding Mercedes and McLaren.
Mercedes have drawn plenty of attention after looking strong during the Barcelona shakedown, and there’s growing talk that they might have the best power unit on the grid.
That alone should keep McLaren in the mix. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton posted the fastest time at Catalunya for Ferrari, and Red Bull’s new engine setup looked sharp as well.
But what really got people talking was Aston Martin finally hitting the track. Their debut came later in the week, but it still managed to stand out as one of the more interesting moments.
Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso had limited time on track, managing fewer laps than every team except Williams, who didn’t run at all during shakedown.
Damon Hill explains why the testing schedule suits Alonso
The former World Champion has always been known for his ability to adapt quickly. Hill believes this could allow him to skip large portions of testing without it impacting his readiness for race weekends:
“He just seems like a plug-and-play driver,” Hill said. “No matter what car he gets in, he just delivers from day one.”
Herbert backed up this idea as well: “I think we’re going to see him do far less running throughout testing,” he explained. “That will come into play when we get to round two or three when everyone else is struggling with fatigue or staying fit over race distances.”
Aston Martin haven’t made any public announcements about altering Alonso’s testing schedule yet. But even with his limited track time so far compared to others, there hasn’t been much cause for concern around how quickly he’ll get up to speed once racing starts.
Fernando Alonso is said to have more influence over his F1 testing schedule than others
While speaking on the Stay on Track Podcast, Herbert and Hill reflected on how testing has evolved since their time in Formula 1.
Herbert noted: “I think it’s very different, but we had that freedom to do that, and we were very important in that test as well, weren’t we?
“We were the computer; the data back then was sort of quite small.”
Hill added: “I don’t know if any current F1 drivers or reserve drivers listen to us, but if they would like to challenge us on our impression of what they’re up to and what they’re allowed to do when they’re testing, then I’d love to hear from them.
“I think we had the freedom to play, and I learned a lot from that when I was driving.
“And now I don’t know what state, what position they’re in. I mean, someone like Fernando is probably able to do what the hell he likes, but you know younger drivers probably are following the instructions of the team.”
The two Aston Martin cars recorded fewer laps than every team bar one. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso took part for Aston Martin, with Williams opting not to test in Barcelona.
Questions surrounding Aston Martin’s engine and fuel ahead of 2026 F1 season
Adrian Newey has taken on the dual role of team principal and lead designer at Aston Martin, overseeing the development of the AMR26.
It’s a massive job for one person, and that workload is part of why Aston Martin was late getting their car on track in Barcelona.
Even so, the AMR26 features some radical elements that other teams haven’t copied, and with Alonso behind the wheel, it could surprise people.
Still, there are areas beyond Newey’s reach that could affect their hopes this season. Questions remain about both Honda’s power unit and Aramco’s fuel, both crucial under the current regulations.
Alonso has enough experience to know exactly what he needs from testing in Bahrain to prepare for Australia.
The challenge now falls to Aston Martin and Honda to meet his standards before time runs out on his F1 career.
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