Aston Martin’s preparation for the upcoming Formula 1 season has been anything but smooth.
Delays in getting their car into the wind tunnel set them back further, and Enrico Cardile couldn’t join until halfway through 2025 because Ferrari had him on gardening leave.
This doesn’t even factor in Honda’s delayed return to Formula 1 and how much that has affected Aston Martin recently.
Together, these issues have led to suggestions that Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll may be dealing with a car that could struggle to compete even against newcomers like Cadillac at the Australian Grand Prix next month.
Fernando Alonso on the verge of a ‘nervous breakdown’ as Aston Martin rated F1’s worst team
Following pre-season testing, Turrini wrote: “Eleventh position: Aston Martin. I’m told that Fernando Alonso is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“If Honda gives him another GP2 engine, I swear I’ll sign up for the next Olympics with Jamaica’s four-man bobsleigh team.
The phrase comes from Horace’s Ars Poetica, implying that even the best, in this case Newey, can overlook things or make mistakes now and then.
Turrini didn’t just focus on Aston Martin; he also shared his views on how the rest of the grid is shaping up for 2026.
He placed McLaren at the top, followed by Mercedes, Ferrari and then Red Bull. In his view, Haas looked strongest among the midfield teams.
Audi sat above Racing Bulls, Williams and Alpine in Turrini’s rankings, with Cadillac 10th and just ahead of a struggling Aston Martin side according to his outlook ahead of the new season.
Fernando Alonso’s early season results hint at potential struggles for Aston Martin
Alonso will kick off his record-setting 24th Formula 1 campaign in Australia, edging closer to the 500 Grand Prix milestone.
With the team struggling early, there are already rumours suggesting that Alonso may choose to retire at the end of the year. A look back at his opening race results since 2014 adds some context to the conversation around his future.
Last season, he was out of the race while Lance Stroll managed a points finish. The year before that, Alonso received a penalty for ‘potentially dangerous driving’ following George Russell’s crash behind him.
The pattern over the past decade has been fairly consistent: he either scores points or doesn’t finish. Looking ahead to this year’s opener in Melbourne, with Aston Martin dealing with reliability problems and lacking pace, another points finish looks unlikely.
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