FORMULA 1 F1 CALENDAR 2026 LEWIS HAMILTON MOTOGP RUMOURS

F1 driver sparks laughter with brutal joke at Aston Martin drivers’ expense

Photo: RacePictures

F1 News

06:01, 05 Mar

Updated: 06:07, 05 Mar

1 Comments

byTobia Elia

Valtteri Bottas jokingly placed the two Aston Martin drivers among the title contenders for the 2026 season.

"If I have to guess something now, I'm going to say Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, and... George Russell. I think they were sandbagging, so they're going to beat Aston at the very end in Abu Dhabi."

- Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas pokes fun at Aston Martin drivers

The Finn, speaking during the drivers' press conference on the eve of the season-opening weekend in Melbourne, jokingly named his top three favourites for the title, placing Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll alongside George Russell.

"This is so hard to say that we haven't done a single race. We've only done testing. Every team is bringing different parts to race one, or even teams, it's impossible to say.

"If I have to guess something now, I'm going to say Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, and... George Russell. Because I think they were sandbagging, so they're going to beat Aston at the very end in Abu Dhabi."

Photo: Race Pictures

Newey drops bombshell at Honda ahead of Australian Grand Prix

Adrian Newey has delivered a striking assessment ahead of the Australian Grand Prix weekend, admitting Aston Martin are facing serious concerns over reliability. The British engineer revealed that both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll could struggle to even see the chequered flag in Melbourne due to issues affecting the car.

The problems, he explained, stem from severe vibrations running through the chassis. According to Newey, the oscillations have already caused several components to come loose, with mirrors and rear lights detaching from the car — issues the team is now urgently trying to resolve.

More worryingly, the vibrations are not only affecting the car itself but are also being transmitted directly to the driver, ultimately reaching their hands through the steering wheel and making the situation even more problematic.