Expectations were sky-high for Fernando Alonso’s press conference, especially following Lance Stroll’s concerning reports regarding the new car. The double world champion made no effort to sugarcoat the situation: Aston Martin is lagging behind and facing reliability "niggles" that will hamper their season opener in Australia.

Starting Behind the Curve

The primary hurdle has been a lack of track time. By missing the Barcelona tests and the prior filming days, the team is only now discovering sensor and temperature issues in Bahrain—while their rivals have already spent a month analyzing data.

"We are finding limitations in optimizing performance because we aren't running continuously. Every stint, a small issue crops up that disrupts the program," the Spaniard admitted.