The Japanese brand confirmed that a battery issue in Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin engine disrupted the program in Bahrain and forced a reduction in the planned running for Lance Stroll.
The Japanese power unit supplier clarified the origin of the problem that affected Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin during the first race simulation of preseason testing in Bahrain, explaining that the situation forced the team to modify its work program on the final day.
In the official statement sent to the media, the company explained that “our final run yesterday with Fernando Alonso revealed a problem with the battery that affected our testing plan with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team,” stressing that this component was the specific cause of the interruption.
The note also detailed that, after identifying the failure, the manufacturer began simulations on the HRC Sakura test bench as part of its efforts to better understand the issue and work on a solution.
The brand clarified that a shortage of engine parts contributed to the running plan being drastically altered, limiting activity to short stints with Lance Stroll in the final Bahrain session.
The failure occurred after Alonso completed only 26 laps in the first long runs of the day, after which it was necessary to stop the AMR26 for technical investigation. According to reports from the session, the power unit issue came after Stroll’s running had already been reduced by other on-track incidents.
The implications of the statement are significant for Aston Martin’s planning, as limited track time in Bahrain reduces the opportunity to gather performance and reliability data under real conditions. Data accumulation is especially critical at this stage of preseason, marked by adjustments to the 2026 technical regulations.
Moreover, the admission that the failure was related to the engine battery may shape the manufacturer’s development priorities in the coming days, suggesting that engineers will need to balance thermal management of the electrical and combustion elements under the new Formula 1 technical specifications.
From a sporting standpoint, the interruption directly affects the programs of Alonso and Stroll, since cutting laps in Bahrain limits optimization of the AMR26 package before the start of the World Championship. Testing days are key to fine-tuning aspects such as power delivery, hybrid system efficiency, and overall reliability.
In that sense, Aston Martin will need to turn the data gathered in Sakhir into concrete performance adjustments before the season opener in Australia, scheduled for early March. The ability of the Japanese supplier and the British team to resolve the battery issues and parts availability will be a determining factor in the team’s competitiveness in the opening rounds of the calendar.