Alonso delivers worrying verdict as Aston Martin endure tough Bahrain running

Aston Martin is among the teams being spoken about with the least optimism, to the point where Lance Stroll suggested the AMR26 could be as much as 'four, probably four and a half seconds off.'

Expectations were high for Aston Martin’s first car designed by Adrian Newey, with Fernando Alonso once again teaming up with Honda this season after the nightmare spell with McLaren between 2015 and 2018.

Speaking to GPblog among other media in Bahrain, the Spaniard said: “Definitely we are not in the position we wanted to be. We started on the back foot. Missing Barcelona was a big thing, because it was not only missing the Barcelona test, it was also missing the filming days before.”

The two-time world champion also stressed that the time lost compared to rivals — who logged extensive running in Barcelona and completed filming days — has only compounded the situation rather than helping improve it.

The Spaniard used a clear on-track example to highlight just how decisive energy deployment will be this season, noting that drivers are increasingly forced to back off through corners to maximise what they can use on the straights.

“Now in 10-12 we are like 50 kph slower because we don't want to waste energy there and we want to have all on the straights, so to do 10-12 instead of 260 at 200 (kph), you can drive the car. The chef can drive the car in 10-12 at that speed, but you don't want to waste energy because you want to have it on the straight,” he said.