Fernando Alonso scored Aston Martin's first point of the 2026 Formula One season at the Monaco Grand Prix on June 7. Alonso finished 11th on track but was promoted to 10th after a penalty to Sergio Perez, giving Aston Martin their breakthrough point after five races without scoring and a best finish of only 15th place [1, 2].
The point lifted Honda-powered Aston Martin off the bottom of the constructors' championship, breaking a string of poor results that had put pressure on the team. Alonso, a 44-year-old double world champion, remains the team's lead driver alongside Lance Stroll [1, 2].
Ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona-Catalunya, Aston Martin's chief trackside officer Mike Krack said the team expects a very tough weekend. "On paper, for Barcelona, it will be tough. It will be very tough. In Barcelona, there is no place to hide," Krack said. "After Barcelona, normally, when you bring upgrades you know where you are. After Barcelona, it is normally a reality check for your pace. We know that, we need to be aware of that. And we have to try and execute without any mistakes, try to get the maximum learning for it. I think for the drivers, it will be the toughest." [1]
Krack also expressed concern about protecting their drivers from negativity given the car's struggles on the Barcelona circuit. "We know that Barcelona is very hard on the package. And there will be not so much they (the drivers) can do about it. So I think we need to protect them, maybe a little bit, from getting too much negative out of this," he said [1].
Aston Martin's challenges underline a difficult early season marked by reliability and performance issues. The team seeks to build on the breakthrough point gained at Monaco and improve their competitiveness in Spain.
The 2026 Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona-Catalunya is scheduled for this weekend, with Aston Martin aiming to execute clean races and maximize learning from the track's demanding conditions [1, 2].