Fernando Alonso "has 100% faith" Honda can win F1 title, but time running out for him

Fernando Alonso has “100% faith” that Honda will address its current power unit issues and that Aston Martin can win a Formula 1 world title. 

Fernando Alonso went through three years of pain with McLaren and Honda in 2015, 2016 and 2017, famously bemoaning what he termed a “GP2 engine” during a Japanese Grand prix outburst.

Having subsequently watched the Japanese manufacturer win four world championships with Max Verstappen and Red Bull, he came into this season with high expectations in Adrian Newey’s first Aston Martin. 

Those have not been met ahead of the 2026 season, however,  thanks to a serious vibration issue with the Honda power unit, which has led to “nerve damage” fears.

Despite this, Alonso remains confident that things will be turned around and Aston will be able to win a world championship, though he concedes he may have retired by this point.

“I have 100% faith that Honda will fix the problems,” he said. 

“Because they did it already in the past, and they will always be competitive and a top engine in F1. 

“The thing is probably the time that is required, and it’s not matching with my time in my career.

“And that’s something that remains to be seen. I don’t have a crystal ball to know exactly when problems will be fixed. 

“So yeah, we will go race-by-race and month-by-month, and let’s see. Hopefully we can see improvements in the short-term, and that will help my decision as well, for next year.”

Why Alonso is so optimistic of a Honda/Aston rebound

Elaborating on his optimistic take, he said: “In a way, deep inside, I have the feeling that problems will be fixed every time I jump in the car. 

“I close the visor, and I really hope that everything will be better.

“So after the last few weeks in Japan, I think for us it’s important to test the car tomorrow, on Friday. 

“Let’s see how things go. I have a feeling in me that it could be all fine and we can do a normal weekend, but let’s see.”

He also insisted that the situation in the Aston camp is not as dire as it is being portrayed.

“I think it looks maybe more difficult on the outside, which is understandable as well,” he said. 

“You know, high expectations for Aston. I agree on that, I think we know what we are doing, we know the limitations on the car as well.

“And as Adrian probably said this morning, we started a little bit behind when he joined the team, and he changed a little bit the philosophy of the car. 

“We already expected that the launch car was a little bit down, and also maybe the first couple of races.

“But I think he knows what to do in the car and what to fix in the car, and what areas are underperformance and some others that have more potential. 

“So it seems that we have a clear direction on the chassis. And I’m not concerned about that.”

Looking at the bigger picture Alonso admitted that the big unknown was the timing of an upswing in form, given that he’s close to the end of his career.

“We have some challenges to start this year, no doubt, we are not hiding that,” he said. 

“It’s not that I’m happy to face them, but I’m ready for them. So I will embrace them, and I will try to help with my experience as well in F1 for Honda to make this time as short as possible.

“And as I said already last year, when I renewed the contract, I think this team will win a championship. It’s a matter of time. We have all the things in place now.

“We are facing another difficulty and challenge now with the new regulations and the engine swap. But everything can be fixed. When?

“That’s the only question mark that I have, if I will be behind the wheel or if I will be in a different position in the team. But I think I will win a championship with this team, sooner or later.”