Fernando Alonso issues major Aston Martin concern: 'You will crash'

Fernando Alonso believes both Aston Martin drivers risk looking "stupid" by crashing in Monaco if the ongoing gearbox concerns have not been fixed.

For the first time in 2026, the Silverstone-based squad has built its own gearbox, but since the Miami GP, the team has been struggling with the downshifts on the new unit, which Alonso described as "random."

Addressing the problem ahead of the Monte Carlo weekend, Alonso felt that if the team had not found solutions, both he and team-mate Lance Stroll would "look stupid" after "crashing into the wall" during downshifts.

"There are a couple of things on the car to be improved, and it will be a good test here in Monaco, and one for sure, will be the gearbox," Alonso told media, including RacingNews365.

"We've been struggling with the gearbox since Miami, and Monaco is not the place to have a random downshift. 

"You will have rear locking or pushing, and then you will crash into the wall, and the driver will look stupid, but we are a passenger sometimes when you put one gear down, and you have to push on with the engine, like going full throttle.

"We made a step in the right direction in Canada, and Monaco will tell the truth. 

"If you have the downshift problem as we had in Miami, probably we cannot even race because we will crash in one of the braking points, because you will have very different downshift types.

"If we have reliability issues as we had at the beginning of the year, when we completed eight to 12 laps, then it doesn't change much to be in Monaco.

"We need to put everything together, that's what we've been working on in the two weeks since Canada, because we know it is an important weekend, and we are paying a lot of attention to this weekend in all the details, so I am looking forward to jumping in the car."