Fernando Alonso delivers clear Aston Martin message during latest struggle

Fernando Alonso has asserted he holds faith that Aston Martin can turn its fortunes around following its challenging start to the year.

The Silverstone-based squad is lacking serious mileage with its new car after running into various issues throughout pre-season testing.

The Honda power unit has proved to be unreliable in the early stage of the year, while the drivers have noted the chassis is lacking considerable pace.

Lance Stroll conceded the car is “four seconds” off the pace of the front-runners, marking a disappointing start to its Adrian Newey era.

But when asked by media including RacingNews365 if he still has confidence in the squad, Alonso replied: “Yes, especially on the chassis side.

“The power unit, it's a little bit more difficult because we don't have a good understanding yet on the regulations and what is needed.”

The car's construction has been spearheaded by Newey, regarded as one of the greatest F1 designers of all time.

Having won multiple championships with various teams, Newey has been backed by Alonso to get on top of its current concerns.

“But on the chassis side, there is no question mark on that,” he said. 

“After 30-plus years of Adrian dominating the sport, it's not that he will forget everything in one year.

“I don't know where we are now in terms of chassis and grip level, but even if we are not at 100 now, we will be at 100 soon because we will fix any problem on the power unit.

“We need to give time and understand where we are and, if we are behind, get better as soon as possible.”