Aston Martin’s disastrous weekend in Montreal took a surprising turn with Fernando Alonso’s retirement caused by a particularly unusual problem.
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Aston Martin experienced an extremely complicated 2026 Canadian Grand Prix at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit. From the start of the weekend, the British team faced multiple sporting, technical, and regulatory issues.
It had already started badly with Fernando Alonso going off track during the sprint qualifying. Meanwhile, Lance Stroll had to start the sprint from the pit lane after a suspension issue was detected on his car before the start.
The difficulties then continued in the Grand Prix qualifying, with two financial penalties imposed by the FIA on Aston Martin.
Two fines and disrupted preparation
The Silverstone team was first fined 5,000 euros after an unsafe release involving Alonso in the pit lane. A few minutes later, a second penalty of 7,500 euros was issued after Stroll’s car left the garage in a condition deemed dangerous.
Even before the race started, Aston Martin had also chosen to change several engine components as well as the setup of Stroll’s car under parc fermé conditions, forcing the Canadian to start from the pit lane.
In this already very tense context, the main race was also going to turn into a nightmare for the British team.
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Alonso forced to retire for an unusual reason
After about a third of the race, Aston Martin finally called Fernando Alonso back to the pits to retire definitively. But unlike the usual mechanical problems seen this weekend, the cause of this retirement was particularly unusual.
The team confirmed that the two-time world champion was suffering from a problem related… to his seat.
No further technical details have been provided yet, but Aston Martin simply mentioned “a problem with his seat” to explain the Spaniard’s premature retirement.
This unlikely incident symbolizes a weekend to completely forget for the British team, unable to complete a single session without a major incident.
Aston Martin sinks even further
Between accidents, penalties, mechanical issues, and now a seat problem, Aston Martin leaves Montreal in a particularly delicate situation. The team is still struggling to regain competitiveness this season and this Canadian weekend could leave its mark.
For both Alonso and Stroll, this home Grand Prix will mainly be remembered for a series of setbacks rarely seen in a single race weekend.
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