Alonso is realistic, he does not forget the superiority of Red Bull on any surface or the competitiveness of Ferrari in the most recent street circuit, during the Azerbaijan GP. But he is also aware of all the unknowns that the Monaco GP offers on one of the most complicated circuits on the calendar, with one lap, and with one of the most complex races in terms of strategy and weather. “It’s like any other race. We are not the strongest in Monaco, it will not be a big change compared to Baku, which is a street circuit where Ferrari was very strong. This could be another good weekend for them. But if I say that I don’t come to Monaco thinking about winning the race, I would be lying. It’s like Budapest or Baku, you have to have confidence, I will attack more than in any other weekend”, said the Spaniard at the FIA press conference.
This weekend, Aston Martin brings evolutions. Some were scheduled for Ímola, others will be delayed until Barcelona as they could not be tested in Ímola. “We have not yet seen Mercedes or Ferrari with the high downforce package,” assured Mike Krack, but the Silverstone team has good numbers in the simulator and they are aware that it may be one of the best opportunities to achieve the result that justifies a season. Likewise, Monaco is traditionally a less profitable circuit for Red Bull. Checo Pérez, winner last year, warns: “Fernando, the Ferraris… I hope they are very strong after one lap. Mercedes too.”
At the same time, this weekend there is talk of the new Aston Martin-Honda alliance from 2026 onwards. Alonso does not believe that it is necessary to be a factory team to win a title, but he does think that it is an advantage given the change in rules that cars and power units will face. “Especially in 2026, it is better to develop your power unit in an integrated way, in advance. There are only benefits. That does not mean that until 2026 Aston Martin will not have the opportunity to fight for the World Cup ”, explains the 41-year-old Asturian.
It will be 44 years old when a Japanese-powered AMR debuts. Do you see yourself with the ambition to continue running? “I don’t know what I’ll do in 2026 right now. I feel good, fresh, fit and fast. If I keep having fun I’ll keep running. Maybe one day I wake up and lose motivation, or I don’t feel fast, I’ll be the first to admit it. We will see. There’s a long way to go until 2026. Now I’m thinking about Monaco, this season and taking another step for the next one. Afterwards, racing with Honda would not be a problem for me. It didn’t go well the other time, it was worse for some of my teammates like Stoffel (Vandoorne), who joined a project that was not fully prepared. But now they have a competitive package, they have won the last two World Cups and they will probably win the next one. It will be exciting, for sure.”