Fernando Alonso has admitted Aston Martin are at 'square one' ahead of the first sprint weekend of the 2026 season in Shanghai.
Aston Martin have endured the worst possible start to their 2026 season, with significant issues with their new Honda engine making it impossible to complete a full grand prix.
Ahead of the opening race in Melbourne, it was revealed by Adrian Newey that both Alonso and Lance Stroll risked permanent nerve damage in their hands if they completed long stints due to vibrations from the engine.
Speaking after the Australian grand prix, Spanish journalist Emilio Perez de Rozas has claimed that Alonso is suffering 'significant discomfort' while in the Aston Martin car.
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He claims that if the situation doesn't improve, Alonso could be forced to retire during the 2026 season by F1 doctors.
Alonso ran for 15 laps after gaining places at the start before heading into the garage, where he later emerged from much later in the race, completing a further six laps.
Aston Martin still at 'square one' in China says Alonso
Speaking to the media in China, the Spaniard who turns 45 in June admitted Shanghai will be another challenging weekend for the team.
"I think it's going to be another difficult weekend, trying to understand as much as possible on the car," he explained.
“We are at square one, we really need the laps, we really need to be able to practice and to find the window on the car."
Alonso also boldly claimed the team will at least attempt to complete Sunday's race, but wasn't convinced it was possible.
“I will be happy if we leave China with more or less a normal free practice, more or less a normal qualifying, accumulating laps and attempting the full race on Sunday, if we are allowed," he continued.
When pressed on when Aston can expect to have normal grand prix weekends, he made no secret in the fact the timeframe is still up in the air.
"I don't know really," he continued.
"We still have too many issues and too many unknown issues that are coming day after day from nowhere, so it seems that we are not on top of the problems yet, and that's why it's difficult to guess.
"But we are pushing; we have very high professionals and talented people in the team, so I hope by a couple of Grands Prix we can have a normal weekend, well, at least in terms of doing laps and completing the sessions."
Topics: Fernando Alonso, Formula 1, Motorsport
Tom Jenkins