Aston Martin have suffered a nightmare start to the season

Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle has delivered a damning verdict on Aston Martin’s calamitous opening to the 2026 Formula One campaign, declaring the British team’s struggles a “horror show” that will persist until next year.

Speaking on The F1 Show podcast, the veteran broadcaster offered little hope of a swift recovery for the Silverstone-based outfit.

 

“It’s a nightmare, whichever way you look at it, they’ve got neither speed nor reliability,” Brundle stated.

“It’s not going to improve until 2027. It’s a horror show, and we’re just going to have to observe that pain.”

Team principal Adrian Newey has been told that Aston Martin's problems will likely continue into next year

Team principal Adrian Newey has been told that Aston Martin’s problems will likely continue into next year

 | GETTY

The assessment represents a stark fall from grace for a team that entered this season with considerable expectations.

Aston Martin’s woes are laid bare by the statistics: the team languishes approximately four seconds per lap behind the frontrunners, placing them in what Brundle described as “a different category” entirely.

Across three race weekends, neither car has troubled the points-paying positions.

Indeed, Fernando Alonso’s 18th-place finish at Suzuka remains the sole occasion either driver has seen the chequered flag this season.

Following their back-row qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix, Lance Stroll offered a sardonic observation about competing in “our own Aston Martin championship” with his Spanish teammate.

Fernando Alonso has finished just one race this season in a catastrophic line of events for Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso has finished just one race this season in a catastrophic line of events for Aston Martin

 | REUTERS

“That’s painful, isn’t it, really? That’s sort of salt in the wounds, almost,” Brundle remarked.

The engine vibrations plaguing the Honda power unit have raised alarming health concerns for both drivers.

Team principal Adrian Newey disclosed at the Australian Grand Prix that Alonso and Stroll had expressed genuine fears about sustaining “permanent nerve damage” to their hands and feet from the violent shaking.

The severity of the issue has significantly curtailed running time during the opening races, compounding the team’s difficulties in gathering crucial development data.

Resolving these vibrations remains among the most pressing priorities as Aston Martin and Honda work through Formula One’s April break ahead of the Miami Grand Prix in early May.

Fellow Sky Sports commentator David Croft echoed the pessimistic outlook, characterising the situation as “a long-term project” stemming from issues that “weren’t picked up early enough.”

Adrian Newey, Lawrence Stroll

There was great excitement after Aston Martin chief Lawrence Stroll captured Adrian Newey from Red Bull

 | PAHe suggested that various parties had “taken their eye off the ball” during development.

Originally anticipated for Silverstone, a B-spec chassis is now expected to arrive at Spa, whilst the power unit will require extensive refinement likely extending beyond Christmas.

“Can I see them scoring a point? Not unless 12 other cars retire at the moment,” Croft observed.

Chief trackside officer Mike Krack acknowledged that merely finishing the Japanese race was “hardly a cause for celebration.”