Ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP, Fernando Alonso admitted he has had a more than difficult start to the 2025 Formula 1 season. He had two DNFs in the first two races and was unable to score points with his highest finish in 11th place.
Ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP, Alonso admits the challenges he is facing
When asked about his difficult start to the 2025 F1 season, Alonso was quick to admit the challenges he is facing. “I think the first couple of weekends have been not easy for us, some challenges with the new car,” he said. “But I think the high-speed content should be a little better for us. So yeah, we really hope for a better weekend.”
Alonso admitted the new car has been challenging and that low-speed corners have been their weakest part of the track.
“We’re still actually discovering a little bit the car and some of the weaknesses. I would say that the first four Grands Prix, the low-speed corners were probably our weakest part of the track. But there are some concerns as well of bouncing and other stuff that we are facing from time to time.”
“Here there’s super high grip, a lot of high-speed corners, so all in all, should be a better weekend.”
These issues have not only hurt their performance but also left Aston Martin trailing behind rivals in the midfield. With teams like Haas, Williams, and Alpine all scoring early points, every point is becoming more critical in finishing higher in the Constructors’ standings.
What is the fix to the problems?
With the Silverstone-based team making the huge announcement of signing Adrian Newey, many people thought he would come in and fix the team overnight. However, Alonso stated he thinks ‘he’s working only on 2026, so if he’s deciding that, I totally support that.’
“I think in Formula 1 there is never a quick enough fix to solve your problems. Competitors are strong, they are also improving their cars and [fixing] their problems. And it’s always a race off-track to get the car better and better. But yeah, I think we have a couple of ideas. Some of those have to do with the setup that we could try on the weekends as well.“
Alonso also mentioned the stable weather conditions for this weekend in Jeddah, saying he wants to “try to use FP1, FP2, and FP3 to maximise the track time and learn about the car.”
Importance of momentum
At a press conference in Hungary last year, Alonso admitted he wanted to build some momentum in the second half of last year. However, the importance of this year seems much less important to the team compared to last year, Alonso stating, “I think next year is a completely new set of regulations that completely reset what you learn this year. Maybe it’s not super useful for next year in terms of aerodynamics on the car. So yeah, obviously you always want to finish the season on a high and keep the motivation high for everybody. But I think the motivation in the team is super high anyway.”
Fernando is hoping Aston Martin’s new facilities will help in their fight next year compared to the previous resources they had at hand, stating, “[We are] much more prepared to fight for World Championships than we were two years ago, where we had a very small factory, we were using Mercedes’ wind tunnel, and maybe we didn’t have the right people and partners in the project. So yeah, the results on track on Sunday are not the same as they were before, but I feel very relaxed, very motivated. This is just a transition time where we have to learn things and prepare the team in a different way for the time that we have the car ready to fight for championship – the team will be ready in that moment too.”
Alonso speaks about the future of Aston Martin beyond the Saudi Arabian GP
Alonso talked a lot about his motivation and how, for the moment, he is highly motivated, but he cannot guarantee it for the next 3 or 4 years and does not want to compromise the team. Fernando stated, “I will always be in a position to help the team with whatever they need. If it’s behind the wheel, I will extend the contract if they think that way and I feel motivated. If it’s in another position, or I don’t feel fast enough, I will be the first one to raise my hand.”
This hints at the still possible outcome of Max Verstappen joining Aston Martin in a future season. Alonso says he thinks the rumours are good for the team, but he does not see Max as a threat to his seat as he is still contracted for next season.
