Alonso’s AMR26 Finally Shines in Rain-Hit Brazil

Fernando Alonso has launched a message of optimism after the São Paulo Grand Prix. The Asturian Aston Martin driver, far from lamenting the twelfth place that left him at the gates of the points, preferred to highlight the performance of the AMR26 in wet conditions, a car that according to his own words was "phenomenal" in the corners and that allowed him to fight on equal terms with Ferrari and Mercedes for a good part of the race.

"I think it was the best race for the car's feeling today, the car was phenomenal in the corners and we were fighting with the Ferraris at one point, even in the last five laps with the intermediates, we were in the mix with the two Mercedes, one lap behind but with the Mercedes. Considering how much we lose on the straights that means that probably today we could have been maybe a second faster than them per lap, as I said the car was phenomenal" Alonso declared after the race.

The Asturian had qualified in the top 10 on Saturday, something unprecedented for him this season and in the race he maintained a competitive pace during the first stint. His overtake on Lewis Hamilton at turn 6 on the outside, was one of the images of the weekend and demonstrated that when the conditions are right, the AMR26 can stand up to the best. Alonso also overtook the two Alpines, the two Williams and the two Haas, which reflects the British team's progress on a circuit as demanding as Interlagos.

Mike Krack, Aston Martin track boss, also wanted to highlight the team's performance: "Mixed fortunes for us today, a strong drive from Fernando to finish P12 and Lance unfortunately retiring with a battery problem. Overall we must be satisfied with the weekend's result since we were ahead of competitors with faster cars in qualifying and in the race. We always look forward to racing here in São Paulo, an iconic track with a passionate fanbase so it was great to deliver a solid performance in front of the Brazilian fans" he noted.

However the other side of the coin was Lance Stroll's retirement, the Canadian retired with an ERS problem, adding his eighth retirement in the last ten Grands Prix. Reliability remains Aston Martin's Achilles heel which despite its good pace in Brazil, could not capitalize on it in the form of points, the team occupies tenth position in the constructors' championship, five points behind Williams and needs to find urgent solutions if it wants to climb positions in the last events of the calendar.

Alonso, for his part, continues waiting for an opportunity to score points, he did it for the last time in Malaysia, and since then has seen how reliability problems and the lack of pace on some tracks have prevented him from fighting for the top ten, despite everything the Asturian maintains faith in the Aston Martin project.

The AMR26 has potential, as it demonstrated in Brazil, and the team works to correct its weaknesses ahead of 2027, the season is coming to an end, but Alonso and Aston Martin continue to believe in a better future.