Aston Martin’s new power unit partner, Honda, have released a statement following the disruptions to the team’s programme on the second day of the final pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Fernando Alonso was behind the wheel of the AMR26 during Thursday afternoon’s session in the Sakhir desert when he encountered problems under braking for Turn 4 and came to a halt shortly afterwards.
That ended Aston Martin’s running for the day and marked another setback in their preparations for the 2026 campaign, after a late debut for the car at the Barcelona Shakedown and struggles throughout the two Bahrain gatherings.
Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack admitted last week that “we know we are missing pace and we have areas we know we need to improve”, while driver Lance Stroll claimed Aston Martin are as much as “four-and-a-half seconds” behind the front-runners.
Responding to the latest incident, a Honda statement read: “Our last run with Fernando Alonso yesterday showed a battery-related issue that impacted our test plan with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team.
“Since then, we have been carrying out simulations on the test bench in HRC [Honda Racing Corporation] Sakura. Due to this and the shortage of power unit parts, we have adapted today’s run plan to be very limited and consist only of short stints.”
Speaking before the stoppage, two-time World Champion Alonso also gave his assessment of where Aston Martin stand, saying they have “no doubt” over technical chief Adrian Newey’s abilities and that “we will find a way to have the best car eventually”.
“We need to unlock more performance,” Alonso commented. “Missing [most of] Barcelona was not ideal. This is the very first test for us, so we’re still going step-by-step into the car. We are a little bit on the back foot, we have to admit that, but hopefully there is time to improve.
“On the chassis there is no doubt, we have the best with us. After 30-plus years of Adrian Newey dominating the sport, I think no one will doubt that we will find a way to have the best car eventually.
“On the power unit, we need to wait and see when we unlock all the performance, where we are and what is missing, and then work hard.”
Stroll is scheduled to complete Aston Martin’s testing programme on Friday, though they were the only outfit not to emerge from the pit lane in the opening couple of hours of the morning session.
