Fernando Alonso admitted on Thursday that he expects another difficult weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix as Aston Martin F1 Team continue to battle major issues with their new car following a disappointing start to the season.

The Silverstone-based team endured a nightmare opening round at the Australian Grand Prix, where serious problems with their Honda power unit and a shortage of spare parts hampered their performance.

Both Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll were forced to deal with severe vibrations in the chassis caused by the troubled power unit — an issue so extreme that engineers feared it could potentially lead to nerve damage for the drivers.

Speaking to reporters at the Shanghai International Circuit, Alonso said the situation had not improved much since the opening race in Melbourne.

“The situation unfortunately didn’t change within four or five days since Melbourne, so it will be a difficult weekend,” Alonso said.

Because of the team’s limited supply of parts, Aston Martin may have to reduce running during practice sessions.

“We’ll limit the laps in one or two sessions as we are short on parts. We need laps to find the window on the chassis side,” he explained.
“I’ll be happy if we leave China with a more or less normal practice, more or less normal qualifying.”

The two-time world champion admitted he could not yet predict when the team would fully solve the problems.

“What can I do within the team? Work harder, help Honda as much as I can,” Alonso said.
“We can allocate resources to help Honda with the power unit. We are one team. It is a bumpy start that I hope won’t last too long.”

Despite the difficult beginning, Alonso expressed confidence in the team’s capabilities.

“We are pushing, we have very talented people in the team, so I hope within a couple of grands prix we can have a normal weekend,” he added.
“To be competitive will take more time. Once we fix the reliability, we will be behind on power and things.”

Now 44, Alonso has spent more than two decades in Formula One and has experienced multiple technological eras of the sport, from the powerful V10 engines of the early 2000s to today’s complex hybrid systems.

Despite the current frustrations, the Spaniard said he still relishes the challenge of driving modern F1 machinery, even as he approaches what could be his final years in the sport. His Aston Martin contract runs until the end of the 2026 season.

“Do we enjoy driving these cars? Yes, because we love racing,” Alonso said.
“I do four or five 24-hour races because I love racing and I love driving. So if you jump into an F1 car, you enjoy going fast.”

He added that competing across different eras of the sport has been a privilege.

“But it is a challenge, a different challenge. I was super lucky to race in that era and I feel lucky to race in both.”