Fernando Alonso said to be on the verge of a ‘nervous breakdown’ over Aston Martin’s 2026 struggles

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Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso is said to be incredibly frustrated behind the scenes in the build-up to the 2026 Formula 1 season.

It’s hard to understate just how poor Aston Martin’s preparation for the upcoming Formula 1 season has been.

Adrian Newey’s arrival at Aston Martin in March last year appears to have put the team on the back foot long before either driver made it out onto the track in Bahrain.

Delays getting the car into the wind tunnel didn’t help, and Enrico Cardile didn’t join Aston Martin until midway through 2025 due to Ferrari making him serve his gardening leave.

Aston Martin are currently facing a 38kph deficit to Ferrari’s engine! Do you think they’ll even QUALIFY for the Australian Grand Prix?!

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This is without taking into account Honda’s delayed re-entry into Formula 1 and how badly that’s impacted Aston Martin in recent weeks.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were ultimately left with a car that could conceivably start and finish behind Cadillac on their Formula 1 debut in Melbourne next month.

Journalist Leo Turrini broke down how he sees the grid forming at the Australian Grand Prix, and what he’s been ‘told’ about the two-time world champion’s mood behind the scenes.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

Fernando Alonso on the verge of a ‘nervous breakdown’ as Aston Martin rated F1’s worst team

Writing in his column after pre-season testing, Turrini explained: “Eleventh position: Aston Martin. I’m told that Fernando Alonso is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

“If Honda gives him another GP2 engine, I swear I’ll sign up for the next Olympics with Jamaica’s four-man bobsleigh team.

“Sometimes even the great Homer nods,” an excerpt from Horace’s Ars Poetica, which roughly translates to suggesting that even the most brilliant people, in this case Newey, can make errors or let things slip under the radar.

Turrini also rated the rest of the grid, which made for very interesting reading.

He rated McLaren ahead of Mercedes, Ferrari and then Red Bull, with Haas leading the midfield teams.

New manufacturers, Audi, sat above Racing Bulls, Williams and Alpine in Turrini’s rankings, with Cadillac 10th and marginally ahead of a concerned Aston Martin team.

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Fernando Alonso’s last 10 season-opening F1 races provide clue on Aston Martin’s fortunes

Alonso will start his record-breaking 24th Formula 1 season in Australia as he continues to move towards the 500 Grand Prix mark.

However, it’s already been suggested that Alonso could retire at the end of this season because of Aston Martin’s poor performance.

His results from the opening races of the season since 2014 paint a very interesting picture for the Spanish driver.

Alonso could only congratulate Stroll on finishing in the points last year after crashing out, and the previous season he was penalised for ‘potentially dangerous driving’ after George Russell’s accident behind him.

During the last 10 seasons that Alonso has been racing in Formula 1, he’s either finished in the points or failed to finish the race on the opening day of the campaign.

Given Aston Martin’s current reliability issues and their lack of pace, if one of the scenarios is going to play out in Melbourne, it’s unlikely to be a top 10 finish for Alonso…