Alonso: Aston Martin briefly faster than the Ferraris on slicks at Sepang
Fernando Alonso told Sky Sports F1 that Aston Martin briefly looked faster than the Ferraris on slicks at Sepang, but described its slick pace as poor; he told Spanish media he expected more, GPBeat reports.
At Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, held at Sepang, Fernando Alonso told Sky Sports F1 that Aston Martin was “even faster than the Ferraris” during a brief phase on slicks, but in the same interview said, “we were very slow with the slick”. In separate post-race comments to Spanish media, he said he had expected more from the race pace.
The track was wet but drying when the race started, and Aston Martin chose medium slicks. Drivers who started on slicks soon struggled for grip. Alonso linked the Ferrari comparison to his lap-four pass of Lewis Hamilton, saying he was pulling away while both world champions struggled on the tyres.
Alonso said the Safety Car brought the field back together and that a new race began from that point. In his Spanish-media comments, he also described significant oversteer and said a small front-wing adjustment did not really resolve it.
Before the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Alonso said Aston Martin’s car had been unchanged since Budapest earlier in the 2026 season and that its competitiveness depended on circuit layout and the number of straights. The team brought no upgrades to Sepang.
Hamilton finished third, Charles Leclerc fourth and Alonso eighth.
Sources 04
- SOURCE“Even faster than Ferrari” – Fernando Alonso grabs Aston Martin’s best result of F1 2026Motorsport.com F1
- PRIMARY SOURCEHow Alonso and Aston Martin took their opportunity in SepangFormula 1
- PRIMARY SOURCEDoc 60 - Final Race ClassificationFIA F1 decision documents
- SOURCEFernando Alonso urges Aston Martin caution despite 'miracle' F1 breakthroughRacingNews365 English
Claims and supporting evidence 8
These are Alonso’s attributed assessments of a brief race phase and the slick pace, not a full-race comparison.
Formula1.com describes the conditions, tyre choice and difficulty for those who chose slicks.
The lap-four context and Alonso’s assessment are reported together in the post-race account.
This is Alonso’s description of the Safety Car’s effect.
The pace and handling points are attributed to Alonso’s comments to Spanish media.
RacingNews365 records Alonso’s pre-race comments on the unchanged car and track-dependent performance.
RacingNews365 reports that the team brought no upgrades to the event.
The FIA’s final race classification lists those finishing positions.
This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.