The Formula 1 season began on a difficult note for Aston Martin at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix. The team closed Friday with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in the lower end of the timesheets across both practice sessions, acknowledging issues with the car’s behavior on the Monte Carlo streets.
Besides modest results, the squad also faced early setbacks. Stroll experienced telemetry problems in the opening phase of FP1, which hampered part of his track work. Nevertheless, both drivers managed to complete enough laps to start adjusting to the circuit’s more traditional layout.
In FP1, Alonso logged 21 laps and finished 20th, while Stroll completed 16 laps and placed 22nd. In FP2, the drivers increased their mileage, with Alonso tallying 30 laps and Stroll 27, but they again finished 20th and 22nd, respectively.
After the sessions, Alonso noted that the car exhibited significant handling problems. “It was a tough day for us in Monaco. We’re suffering from a lack of grip at the front and a lot of understeer. The behavior is quite inconsistent and not easy to drive. I hope we can make some setup changes and improve the situation overnight,” the Spanish driver said. The two-time champion also highlighted progress in another area: “My seat is more comfortable and it seems to have improved.”
The team principal, Pedro de la Rosa, acknowledged that the scenario was more challenging than expected. “We knew today would be tough, but it turned out to be harder than we imagined. We made several changes across the sessions and gathered a lot of information about where we need to improve,” he explained. According to him, the main concern is the car’s lack of consistency and predictability, something considered essential for the drivers to push the car to the circuit’s limits with confidence. Aston Martin is now focusing its efforts on data analysis to try to extract performance before Saturday’s qualifying.
