Aston Martin's F1 struggles deepened on Thursday in Bahrain when Fernando Alonso came to a stop with an issue.
The Silverstone-based squad's test was disrupted on Wednesday when Lance Stroll suffered a spin into the gravel.
Alonso jumped behind the wheel for the second day and had 68 laps under his belt before he slowed the car after rounding Turn 3 with an apparent issue.
However, the situation grew more dramatic as the Spaniard got to Turn 4, when the car suddenly suffered a major spike in engine revs.
Alonso climbed out of the AMR26 and made his way back to the pit lane before the Aston Martin mechanics rushed to recover the car under red flag conditions.
Aston Martin has endured a challenging pre-season period, starting from its absence across the first three days of the Barcelona shakedown test.
It has been playing catch-up with mileage ever since, and its latest setback is likely to broaden its concerns as the opening round approaches.
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365’s Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding as they look back on last week’s first test in Bahrain and this week’s second test at the same venue. The trio debate Max Verstappen’s criticism of the regulations and whether Formula 1 is facing an identity crisis.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..











Join the conversation!