Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack has highlighted a significant disparity between the AMR26’s improved competitiveness and its ongoing reliability issues following the São Paulo Grand Prix. The team recorded five retirements from six starts across the recent triple-header in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil.
The São Paulo Grand Prix, held on November 8, 2026, saw Fernando Alonso qualify ninth and start eighth due to grid penalties for other drivers. Despite showing encouraging pace in the mixed conditions at Interlagos, Alonso finished 12th, failing to score points.
Lance Stroll retired on Lap 30 of the São Paulo race due to a battery issue. This marked his 13th retirement of the 2026 season, placing him one DNF away from the all-time record of 14 in a single Formula 1 campaign.
Krack stated that the lack of points was the primary ‘takeaway’ from the weekend, despite the car demonstrating better performance in difficult conditions. Honda, Aston Martin’s power unit supplier, admitted that the wet conditions at Interlagos masked some of the engine’s inherent weaknesses in performance and energy deployment.
The recurring battery problems are a significant concern for Honda, which has acknowledged knowing the component that failed in Stroll’s car but has yet to identify the root cause of the issue. Honda’s trackside chief Shintaro Orihara confirmed that reliability has worsened since the middle of the season.
The reliability problems extend beyond Brazil. At the preceding Mexico City Grand Prix, both Alonso and Stroll retired within five laps due to ERS cooling circuit and water pressure issues. These problems were exacerbated by the high altitude and thinner air at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Persistent vibrations from the Honda power unit have been a factor throughout the 2026 season, damaging batteries and other components. These vibrations have also caused discomfort for both drivers.
Aston Martin’s 2026 campaign has been challenging since its inception. Honda admitted in January that the power unit’s performance and reliability would not be competitive. The AMR26 was late to its shakedown and has faced fundamental design and integration issues.
The team has recorded 20 unclassified cars out of 38 entries in the first 19 races of 2026, representing a 53% non-finish rate. Alonso has accumulated seven retirements this season. He currently sits 17th in the Drivers’ Championship with seven points.
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe was present at the São Paulo Grand Prix, meeting with Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll and other senior team personnel. This visit occurred as pressure mounts on Honda to deliver substantial improvements in both performance and reliability for the 2027 season.
Krack previously stated that the team’s options to complete the Mexico City Grand Prix were ‘insufficient’ due to the power unit issues. He has also acknowledged that Aston Martin ‘cannot produce miracles’ in the short term regarding solutions.
