Phoenix 24
Spa exposes the deepest weaknesses of the AMR26.
Spa-Francorchamps | July 2026
Fernando Alonso endured one of Aston Martin’s most difficult Fridays of the 2026 Formula One season as the British team finished at the bottom of the timesheets during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix.
The two-time world champion completed only the second session after surrendering his car to reserve driver Jak Crawford during Free Practice 1. The change was part of Formula One’s mandatory programme requiring teams to provide track time to rookie drivers, but it left Alonso with only one hour to understand the AMR26 around one of the championship’s longest and most technically demanding circuits.
Crawford finished the opening session in 22nd and final position with a time of 1:53.199, while Lance Stroll placed 21st. The Canadian’s best lap was almost six seconds slower than Max Verstappen’s benchmark, confirming the performance deficit Aston Martin had anticipated before arriving in Belgium.
Alonso returned to the cockpit for Free Practice 2 but could not reverse the situation. His fastest lap of 1:51.418 left him 22nd, directly behind Stroll, who recorded a 1:51.131. Both Aston Martins were more than five seconds behind Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who led the session with a 1:45.944.
The gap was too large to be explained by traffic, tyre preparation or an isolated setup problem. It reflected a structural lack of competitiveness in a car that has struggled since the beginning of the new regulatory era.
Spa-Francorchamps magnified those weaknesses. Its seven-kilometre layout combines extended flat-out sections, rapid elevation changes and high-speed corners that demand an efficient balance between aerodynamic resistance, mechanical grip and electrical energy deployment.
The 2026 Formula One regulations have made energy management particularly decisive. Drivers must conserve, recover and deploy electrical power across the lap, and any deficiency in that process becomes especially costly on Spa’s long straights.
Aston Martin already knew that the Belgian circuit could expose the AMR26 more severely than other venues. Its inability to deploy energy efficiently leaves the car vulnerable during acceleration and at maximum speed, while reducing downforce to compensate can make it unstable through Spa’s demanding corners.
Alonso’s absence from the first session added another complication. While his rivals accumulated data, evaluated tyre behaviour and refined their configurations, the Spaniard observed from the garage as Crawford followed a programme designed primarily for the rookie and the team’s technical development.
The decision was required within Aston Martin’s season plan, but its timing made an already difficult weekend more demanding. Alonso entered the second session without the progressive adaptation normally provided by FP1 and had to work immediately on qualifying simulations and longer runs.
Practice was also interrupted by two red flags. The first followed the appearance of gravel on the racing surface, while the second came after Pierre Gasly lost control of his Alpine and struck the barriers. Those interruptions further reduced the available track time for teams attempting to understand the behaviour of their cars.
Rain had fallen between the two Friday sessions, although FP2 took place on a dry circuit. The changing conditions affected grip levels and complicated comparisons, but they did not alter Aston Martin’s position relative to its direct competitors.
Even Cadillac, another team operating near the back of the field, finished comfortably ahead. Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez occupied 19th and 20th, reinforcing the scale of the challenge facing Alonso and Stroll.
The situation could become even more difficult for Stroll, who carries a ten-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race. Although the sanction may have limited practical consequences if the Canadian qualifies near the rear, it further restricts Aston Martin’s strategic options.
The Belgian Grand Prix has therefore become less a battle for points than an exercise in survival, data collection and technical preparation. The team must identify whether any setup changes can reduce the deficit before qualifying, while avoiding unnecessary risks with a package already operating far outside the competitive window.
Attention within Aston Martin has increasingly shifted toward the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the team plans to introduce the first stage of a major development programme. The expected changes include aerodynamic revisions, a new front section, modified rear suspension elements and lighter components intended to address the AMR26’s performance and weight problems.
A second phase, centered on improvements from engine supplier Honda, is expected after the summer break at the Dutch Grand Prix. Aston Martin hopes the combined programme will move it away from the bottom of the constructors’ standings and closer to the midfield.
Those upgrades represent the first meaningful test of whether the technical structure assembled around Adrian Newey can redirect the project. The reputation of the personnel involved created enormous expectations before the season, but the existing car has yet to produce results consistent with that ambition.
Alonso has scored only one point during a campaign marked by poor performance, reliability concerns and limited opportunities to compete. His driving experience may help Aston Martin extract marginal gains, but Friday at Spa demonstrated that individual skill cannot compensate for a deficit measured in several seconds.
The immediate objective will be to find enough performance to avoid complete isolation at the rear. Variable weather, incidents and strategic unpredictability could create opportunities during the race, but Aston Martin cannot build its programme around external disruption.
For Alonso, the Belgian weekend began without FP1, continued with last place in FP2 and ended with confirmation that the team’s current package is fundamentally unsuited to Spa.
The decisive race may not be against the other 21 cars. It may be against time itself, as Aston Martin waits for the upgrades that could determine whether its season can still be rescued.
At Spa, Alonso’s talent remains intact—but the machinery beneath him has reached its limit.
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