Aston Martin occupies the last position in the constructors' standings with zero points after the first three rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The team has faced severe reliability problems, including intense vibrations, limiting its track time. Pundits Jolyon Palmer and Alex Jacques offered critical evaluations, while praising Fernando Alonso's race starts.
Former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer delivered a harsh assessment of Aston Martin's early campaign. 'We don't talk about them because they're not even in contention,' Palmer said in an F1 season-start debrief video. He highlighted the team's poor reliability, noting, 'On the positive, we haven't had to watch it too much because it's not been on track that much.' Palmer commended Alonso, adding, 'Fernando's race starts... that's the moment where you see there's still fight in him. There's still the racecraft; it'll pop up in the top 10.' Despite qualifying low, Alonso has demonstrated skill during races, occasionally reaching the top 10 from the back of the grid. Aston Martin entered 2026 with high hopes, bolstered by Adrian Newey serving as both team principal and managing technical partner, alongside a new Honda power unit partnership. Yet, major issues have derailed progress, leaving the Lawrence Stroll-owned squad at the bottom. F1 commentator Alex Jacques described the situation as 'as close to a worst-case scenario as I can remember.' He pointed out statistics showing Alonso's deficit to pole position exceeds that from the McLaren-Honda era. Jacques noted positives: 'Adrian has never failed at a Formula 1 team since the early '90s... Honda always comes good. It just takes a while.' However, at 44 years old, Alonso may not have enough time left to witness the partnership's success, according to Jacques.
