Fernando Alonso fumes Aston Martin ‘can’t seem to solve’ one ‘chronic’ issue at Monaco Grand Prix

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Fernando Alonso was far from impressed as he claimed Aston Martin ‘can’t seem to solve’ one ‘chronic’ issue at the Monaco Grand Prix. 

Alonso, 44, has endured a nightmare season so far, as Aston Martin’s challenger for 2026, the AMR26, has proved to be extremely problematic.

After suffering severe vibrations that stemmed from the Honda-powered engine earlier in the season, new problems are still cropping up.

On Friday, the two-time Formula 1 world champion finished in P20 for FP1 and FP2, with Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas finishing below him in both sessions.

Meanwhile, Ferrari dominated the proceedings, with Charles Leclerc topping FP1 before Lewis Hamilton went fastest in FP2.

Who will emerge on top at the Monaco Grand Prix between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc?

The Ferrari drivers flipped their order at the top between FP1 and FP2

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Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin ‘can’t seem to solve’ one ‘chronic’ issue

Speaking after the session, Alonso stated that his car has a ‘chronic’ understeer issue that the team ‘can’t seem to solve’.

In addition, the Spaniard was not happy with the front grip and hinted that changes would be made overnight in the hope of making the car better ahead of qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

As reported by Motorsport Espana, Alonso said: “It’s a bit of everything. I think in terms of grip, we’re not happy with the front axle. 

“We’re losing a lot of front grip in the middle of corners. It seems we have chronic understeer that we can’t seem to solve.

“We’ve made a couple of changes to the set-up. We’ll make more tonight and hope to improve the situation. But, for the moment, it’s a complicated issue.”

READ MORE: Fernando Alonso has privately been dealing with ‘chronic’ injury for ‘some time’

Alonso then touched on the problems he has been experiencing with the Aston Martin’s gearbox, claiming the car is ‘not easy’ to drive. 

He added: “And then, the gear changes, both upshifting and downshifting, and the braking level entering the corners in Monaco are crucial for precision and confidence in the corners.

“At the moment, the way the car downshifts and the speed at which the corners are approached are too inconsistent. It’s not easy to drive.”

Alonso also suffered an accident during FP1, where he made contact with the barrier.

When asked to explain the cause of the incident, Alonso said: “I think it’s simply… I mean, we’re recovering a lot of energy under braking now.

“The rear axle is massively charging the battery during braking. And then you have these downshifts where you have to interact with the engine’s throttle blip to get into the next gear.

“There’s a lot going on this year and it seems we’re not quite at that level yet.”