From a difficult start to the season to a double retirement in Baku, Aston Martin’s 2026 campaign has been one of the toughest periods in the team’s recent history.
Aston Martin entered the 2026 Formula 1 season with plenty of attention surrounding the team.
The arrival of Honda as its new works power-unit partner, combined with the introduction of Formula 1’s new 2026 regulations, created plenty of anticipation around what the Silverstone-based team could achieve.
Instead, the season has so far been dominated by reliability problems, disappointing results and a lack of points.
After 15 rounds, Aston Martin has collected only three championship points, all scored by Fernando Alonso. And after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, both Alonso and Lance Stroll had retired from the race.
For a team with ambitions of fighting towards the front of the grid, it has been a difficult year.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
A difficult start to a new era
The 2026 season represented the beginning of Aston Martin's partnership with Honda.
A new engine supplier alongside a completely new generation of F1 regulations was always going to be a major challenge. The team has struggled with its Honda power unit during the opening part of the season, with reliability becoming one of the defining stories of its campaign.
The results tell the story.
Aston Martin failed to score in the opening five Grands Prix, with both cars suffering multiple retirements and finishing outside the points.
At Monaco, Alonso finally put Aston Martin on the scoreboard by finishing tenth.
It was only one point, but it at least gave the team something to build on.
Unfortunately, the breakthrough didn't lead to a significant turnaround.
Alonso has carried the team's points
Fernando Alonso has once again been Aston Martin's leading scorer.
The two-time world champion's best results of the season so far have been a 10th-place finish in Monaco and ninth in the Netherlands, giving him three points in total.
Those numbers don't necessarily tell the whole story.
Alonso has regularly had to fight from the back of the grid or manage an uncompetitive car, while reliability problems have also prevented him from completing several races.
The fact that Alonso has scored all three of Aston Martin's points highlights just how difficult the season has been for the team.
Stroll's season has been even tougher
Lance Stroll has had an even more difficult campaign.
After 14 completed rounds before Baku, Stroll had zero points, with several retirements throughout the season.
He failed to finish in Australia, China, Japan, Monaco, Barcelona, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain.
For Aston Martin, having neither car consistently finishing inside the points has made it extremely difficult to move up the constructors' championship.
Reliability has therefore been just as important as outright pace.
Baku made Aston Martin's problems impossible to ignore
If Aston Martin were hoping that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix would provide a turning point, Baku delivered the opposite.
Both drivers were forced to take major grid penalties after the team introduced additional Honda power-unit components.
Alonso received a 25-place penalty, while Stroll received a 20-place penalty, effectively sending both Aston Martins to the back of the grid.
The penalties were the result of Aston Martin exceeding its permitted allocations of various power-unit components.
That meant even a strong qualifying performance would not have translated into a competitive starting position.
And unfortunately for the team, the race itself was no better.
Double DNF in Baku
Alonso and Stroll both failed to finish the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
According to Formula 1's provisional classification, Alonso completed 20 laps before retiring, while Stroll managed only seven.
That meant Aston Martin left Baku without adding to its championship tally.
It was particularly frustrating because Baku has historically been a circuit where Aston Martin has enjoyed some strong results.
The team's own record shows that Sebastian Vettel finished on the podium in 2021, while Alonso finished sixth in 2024. Aston Martin also scored heavily in the 2023 Sprint weekend.
2026, however, produced a very different story.
The Honda reliability problem
One of the biggest questions surrounding Aston Martin has been the performance and reliability of its new Honda power unit.
The team has experienced problems with engine components throughout the season, culminating in the large penalties handed to Alonso and Stroll in Baku.
The issue isn't simply about losing grid positions.
Every additional engine component used can potentially create penalties later in the season, making reliability a crucial part of the new regulations.
Baku provided a particularly clear example of the consequences.
Aston Martin had to accept significant penalties before the race had even started — and both cars subsequently retired.
Is there any reason for optimism?
Despite the results, it would be too simplistic to write Aston Martin off completely.
The 2026 regulations represent a huge technical change for Formula 1, and Aston Martin is attempting to establish a new works partnership with Honda at the same time.
The team therefore has several areas to develop simultaneously:
- Honda power-unit reliability
- Aerodynamic performance
- Car balance
- Race pace
- Operational consistency
- Understanding the new regulations
The fact that the team has continued developing the car despite its difficult results will be important heading into the remaining races.
There are still several opportunities to score points before the season ends.
What happens next?
Following Baku, Aston Martin has eight Grands Prix remaining on the 2026 calendar, including races in Bahrain, Singapore, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The immediate objective is relatively straightforward: finish races and score points.
For Alonso, every opportunity matters as he continues to lead the team's championship campaign.
For Stroll, the priority will be to finally get his season moving and put some points on the board.
And for Aston Martin as a whole, the remaining races provide valuable information about its Honda partnership and the direction of its 2026 car.
Final thoughts
Aston Martin's 2026 season hasn't gone according to plan.
The team entered the year with a new Honda partnership and hopes of making progress under Formula 1's new regulations. Instead, reliability problems and a lack of competitive pace have left Aston Martin near the back of the field.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix summed up the season perfectly.
Both cars received substantial grid penalties because of power-unit component usage, and neither made it to the chequered flag.
But the season isn't over yet.
With eight races remaining, Aston Martin still has time to turn some of its difficult weekends into valuable lessons.
For now, though, the 2026 campaign is less about fighting for podiums and more about solving the problems that have prevented the team from showing its true potential.
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