Change of perspective
A year ago Fernando Alonso was talking about what the 2026 Australian GP would be like, the first under the new technical regulations, dreaming of being on pole position, fighting for the win and starting to lay the foundations for a World Championship pursuit. Today the reality is very different. After the huge problems shown by Aston Martin and the Honda power unit during pre-season testing, the two-time world champion from Asturias – who predictably did not reach the checkered flag – settled for small things. Very small, like the fact that he and his teammate Lance Stroll managed to start.
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Better than in Bahrain
“Are there any positives to take home? – Alonso was asked by Sky Sport F1 journalists – we have to. There is no other choice. We have to take the positive side and move forward – the grid veteran replied – everyone is determined to change the situation and they are working hard. Probably compared to the situation we had on Thursday in Bahrain, we are in a better position now“.
“We tried some things – Alonso added – we discovered a bit more about the potential of the car and the chassis compared to what we had done in Bahrain, thanks to the laps we did in free practice. And today with both cars we managed to do the formation lap, the start and the pit stop. Probably these kinds of things seem normal to everyone. But in Bahrain we were never on track at 19:00, so we never tried any of the formation or start procedures. I think these were useful data and that we will certainly be better prepared in China“. Of course, seeing a driver of his caliber hampered in this way, forced to be happy just for having started, causes a certain sadness.
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