Adrian Newey’s technical bet on the AMR26 might already require a serious backpedal: after Fernando Alonso’s retirement in Canada, Aston Martin admits it may have gone “too far” with a driving position that became painful for the Spaniard.
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Fernando Alonso’s retirement at the Canadian Grand Prix was not due to a classic failure or a major mechanical problem, but to unbearable discomfort inside the AMR26 cockpit. Long seen around the top 10 at the start of the race in Montreal, the Spaniard gradually fell back before finally returning to the pits after about twenty laps, unable to continue without pain.
“I felt worse and worse as the laps went on. The position didn’t seem right and we were obviously far from the points, with no threat of rain. So we decided to stop the pain,” Alonso explained after the race.
The problem seems to go far beyond a simple poorly adjusted seat. According to Mike Krack, Aston Martin changed the position of its drivers this season by placing them in a more reclined posture than before, a philosophy aimed at lowering the center of gravity and reducing the aerodynamic impact of the helmet in the airflow.
A philosophy of the AMR26 already questioned
This extremely reclined posture, which has become increasingly common in F1 in recent years, may however have reached its limits on the AMR26.
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“I think we need to reconsider the position a bit. With these cars, we try to be as low as possible and, when you look at how drivers have been sitting in recent years, we are getting closer and closer to a lying down position,” Mike Krack admitted. “Maybe we went one step too far, but it’s something we need to check.”
Without naming it directly, this admission inevitably refers to the technical philosophy of the new Aston Martin, developed around the conceptual choices made for the AMR26. The fact that the team is already considering a partial return to a configuration closer to the past is a strong signal, especially at a time when the car is already struggling to regain competitiveness.
A new seat as early as Monaco?
Aston Martin tried adjustments during the Canadian weekend — including Saturday night — but without lasting success. The solution could now involve a deeper redesign of the driver’s installation, with a new seat expected as early as the next round in Monaco according to Alonso. Mike Krack even mentioned the possibility of returning to a previous philosophy: “We may need to go back a bit to what we were doing before.”
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