How Aston Martin are reacting to their pre-season struggles

Aston Martin's preparations for the 2026 F1 season have been "extremely tough," according to Team Representative Pedro de la Rosa. Their new Adrian Newey-designed, Honda-powered car suffered a late arrival and struggled with mileage and reliability during pre-season testing in Bahrain. De la Rosa admitted to a long list of issues spanning all areas, compounded by the complexity of integrating new regulations, gearbox, suspension, and power unit. Despite the challenging start due to late commitments from both Honda and Newey, De la Rosa expressed strong confidence in Newey's vision and Fernando Alonso's unwavering commitment. The team acknowledges they are far from where they want to be but are focused on reliability and continuous development, aiming to improve race-by-race.