Fernando Alonso insists Aston Martin will eventually possess the "best car" in Formula 1 under Adrian Newey’s guidance, despite admitting the team is currently on the back foot following a difficult pre-season.

The two-time world champion remains confident in the Silverstone-based outfit’s long-term trajectory.

Aston Martin have struggled for pace during the opening tests of the new 2026 regulatory era.

Following a delayed arrival in Barcelona, the team completed the fewest laps and set the slowest times at the first Bahrain test.

Newey influence key to recovery

Engineers are currently grappling with the maiden design from Adrian Newey alongside a new Honda power unit.

When asked about the impact of the legendary designer, who has now assumed team principal duties, the Spaniard remained unwavering.

"All the things we need," Alonso told Sky Sports F1.

"He has the experience. He has been in better times, tougher times, and I think we have a clear path of improvement."

The veteran driver concedes that missing critical running time in Spain was far from ideal for development.

"There are a lot of things that we need to unlock," he added.

"For us, it’s really the first test, to be honest, because missing Barcelona was not ideal. So, we are still going step by step."

Upgrades targeting Australia

Despite the slow start, the former Ferrari and McLaren driver predicts a significant turnaround during the latter stages of the campaign.

Newey has already indicated that the machinery brought to the season opener in Australia will differ significantly from the current testing model.

"Melbourne’s car is going to be very different," confirmed Alonso.

"I saw some pictures, and Adrian said at the launch as well."

The 44-year-old believes patience is required before the team can challenge for championships.

"We have a guy that after 30-plus years in Formula 1 has been dominating the sport all of those, so eventually we will have the best car," he said.

"It’s a matter of time, but we want to have that as soon as possible."

The scale of the current deficit was highlighted by teammate Lance Stroll, who noted a significant gap to the frontrunners during the Bahrain sessions.

Tyler Reddick has powered his 23XI Racing Toyota to a stunning Daytona 500 victory, overtaking Chase Elliott on a chaotic final lap to deliver a landmark win for team co-owner Michael Jordan.

The triumph provides an early 63rd birthday present for the basketball legend, who co-owns the outfit alongside three-time race winner Denny Hamlin.

It was a finish of high drama at the ‘Great American Race’, with the victor leading only the final lap to the chequered flag.

Late collision decides title

Chase Elliott appeared destined to finally claim his maiden Daytona 500 title after leader Carson Hocevar was spun off the track.

However, the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s hopes were dashed in the dying moments of the event.

A surging Reddick made contact with Elliott, sending the Chevrolet Camaro crashing out of contention while the Toyota Camry sailed through to victory lane.

Hamlin, despite his ownership success, endured a difficult afternoon behind the wheel for Joe Gibbs Racing.

The veteran was involved in a collision with teammate Christopher Bell with nine laps remaining, setting up the frantic four-lap sprint to the finish.

Triumph amid legal tensions

The result carries significant weight beyond the track, following a turbulent period regarding the sport’s business model.

Jordan was a central figure in a federal antitrust lawsuit regarding revenue sharing, which was settled just days into the trial in December.

Reddick’s win completed a clean sweep of victories at Daytona for owners involved in the legal dispute, following wins for Bob Jenkins and Richard Childress in the support series.

Despair for Elliott

While the six-time NBA champion celebrated, Elliott was left to reflect on what might have been.

The son of Hall of Famer Bill Elliott sat dejected on the track wall after climbing from his wrecked car, eventually classified in fourth place.

Former winners Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Joey Logano completed the podium, ensuring Toyota, Chevrolet, and Ford were all represented in the top three.

Ferrari are set to resist rival attempts to alter 2026 starting procedures after engineering a turbo solution that hands Lewis Hamilton a distinct advantage.

The Italian giants have reportedly discovered a design innovation that negates the need for regulatory modification.

Rival teams, including McLaren, are pushing for urgent updates to the protocols following a chaotic initial test in Bahrain.

Safety fears ignite paddock row

Concerns were raised after Alpine’s Franco Colapinto narrowly avoided a major incident during a practice start.

The Argentine driver struggled to control his car while attempting burnouts, highlighting a potential flaw in the new regulations.

Competitors are now citing safety grounds in a bid to force a rule change at the upcoming F1 Commission meeting.

However, the Maranello squad stands ready to veto any adjustments that would nullify their engineering head start.

Vasseur’s strategic masterstroke

It has emerged that Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur identified the potential stalling issue over a year ago.

Rather than waiting for a regulatory fix, the Scuderia committed to a compact turbo design that requires less revving to engage.

This foresight has potentially gifted the seven-time world champion a significant competitive edge for the new era.

12 months ago, Vasseur was in a Commission meeting and said, ‘We’re going to have a problem in ’26, we should do something’. So he committed to a design that covers this problem, likely a smaller turbo.

Jon Noble, F1 Journalist

Russell voices turbo concerns

Mercedes driver George Russell was among the first to publicise the technical difficulties facing the grid.

The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association director highlighted the disconnect between the starting lights and the engine’s readiness.

We are very conscious that for a race start, you go when the lights are out, you don’t go when your specific turbo is in the right window.

George Russell

With Ferrari having already solved the riddle that is baffling their rivals, they possess little incentive to assist the opposition.

As noted by F1 expert Ed Straw, the Italian team have simply done their homework earlier than the rest.

They’ve committed to the smaller turbo, their start issue is sorted. Suddenly when it comes back and the others say, ‘We have got a problem with the starts’, he brought this up six months previously, why should he vote in favour?

Ed Straw, F1 Journalist

The Great American Race descended into turmoil as a controversial move decimated the field just past the halfway mark.

Justin Allgaier ignited a catastrophic 20-car crash at the Daytona 500, destroying Denny Hamlin’s hopes of a fourth title after a defensive block went drastically wrong.

The chaotic scenes unfolded when Allgaier, piloting a car fielded by Dale Earnhardt Jr, attempted a desperate manoeuvre to retain his position.

As Hamlin looked to surge past on the outside, the race leader threw a late block that squeezed the Toyota veteran into the wall.

That contact sparked a massive chain reaction with just seven laps remaining in the second stage of NASCAR’s season opener.

Championship contenders caught in carnage

Hamlin, aiming to join an elite club of four-time winners at the Speedway, spun helplessly into the infield grass.

The wreckage claimed a host of significant contenders, abruptly ending the afternoon for former champion Michael McDowell and Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman.

Shane van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek were also swept up in the melee.

Wallace profits from owner’s misfortune

Amidst the destruction, Bubba Wallace managed to navigate his way through the twisted metal unscathed.

The 23XI Racing driver subsequently took the lead to win the stage under caution.

There was a bitter irony to the result, as Wallace drives for the team co-owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Weather worries and early drama

Race officials had earlier moved the start time forward by an hour to avoid forecast afternoon showers.

The tension was palpable from the start for William Byron, who is attempting to become the first driver in history to win the Daytona 500 three consecutive years.

Already in a backup car following a qualifying crash, the defending champion hit the wall in the opening laps after B.J. McLeod spun ahead of him.

Kyle Busch also faced pressure, leading the field to the green flag as he looked to break the race’s longest active losing streak after 20 failed attempts.

Izzy Hammond has miraculously escaped injury after a high-speed collision left her car wrecked during the Formula E Evo Series event in Jeddah.

A frightening collision

The content creator was just over a minute into her flying lap when she lost control and struck a trackside bollard with significant force.

Competing in the influencer-led duels, the driver was attempting to set a qualifying time for her team before the incident occurred.

Debris was scattered across the street circuit as the vehicle slammed into the barrier, prompting immediate concern from onlookers.

Among those watching anxiously were YouTube sensations Behzinga and Vikkstar, who witnessed the dramatic moment unfold from the paddock.

‘I’m fine’

Despite the severity of the impact, the social media star was quick to reassure her team over the radio.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

A safety car was deployed immediately, allowing medical staff to extract her from the ruined chassis for precautionary checks.

The 23-year-old was later seen leaving the wreckage under her own power, much to the relief of the spectators.

Brake failure claims

While discussing the crash afterward, the young racer reportedly indicated that a mechanical failure contributed to the accident.

She suggested her brakes failed to engage, forcing her to turn sharply into the corner in a desperate attempt to scrub off speed.

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard, commentating on the event, observed that she appeared to have “caught the back end” prior to the collision.

Echoes of the past

The terrifying scene drew uncomfortable parallels to the perilous incidents involving her famous father.

The former Top Gear host was airlifted to hospital in 2017 following a near-fatal crash in a £2m supercar in Switzerland.

Fortunately, unlike her father’s fiery ordeal, the rising motorsport personality walked away from this encounter unscathed.

William Byron’s attempt to become the first driver to win three consecutive Daytona 500s has been severely complicated after a qualifying wreck forced him into a backup car for Sunday’s race.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver must now launch his assault on the record books from 39th on the grid.

His preferred No. 24 Chevrolet sustained significant damage during a qualifying duel at the Daytona International Speedway.

However, this specific adversity is familiar territory for the history-chasing star.

Byron famously claimed his first victory in ‘The Great American Race’ in 2024 behind the wheel of a spare machine.

“We’ve won this race with a backup car, so I’m not super worried on that aspect,” the defending champion insisted.

“But it does suck that you put a lot of work into the primary and you don’t get to race it.”

Chasing the impossible triple

No driver in the event’s 67-year history has ever lifted the Harley J. Earl Trophy three years running.

NASCAR legends including Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Sterling Marlin all failed at the final hurdle.

The most recent near-miss came from Denny Hamlin, who fell short of the elusive hat-trick in 2021.

“It’s hard. You’re going to need things to fall your way,” admitted Hamlin regarding his rival’s chances.

“There’s an element of fortune there that has to fall your way. He puts himself in the top eight, which is what matters.”

Opportunism over dominance

The Charlotte native starts near the rear of the 41-car field, yet his recent successes suggest track position is fluid.

Remarkably, the Chevrolet star led a combined total of just 14 laps during his previous two triumphs at the Florida circuit.

His strategy relies heavily on survival and late-race positioning rather than outright domination.

During last year’s event, he sat ninth as the white flag waved for overtime.

A chaotic wreck ahead cleared the path, allowing the opportunist to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Turning the tide

While fortune plays a role, Byron believes split-second decision-making is the true differentiator.

“It’s a mix of being in the right place and then having those chances to make good decisions,” he explained.

This run marks a stunning reversal for a competitor who failed to finish half of his first 16 starts at the superspeedway.

“I feel like for a while it was a joke; I couldn’t finish a race here,” Byron confessed.

“My first six years, I couldn’t finish the race, but I was always in the mix. I think it’s kind of finally tipped the other way.”

The Silver Arrows concluded the opening week of the 2026 pre-season in commanding fashion on the timing screens.

Russell initially set the pace in the morning session with a lap of 1:33.918, before his teenage team-mate raised the bar in the afternoon.

Antonelli, the Italian youngster carrying the weight of high expectations, clocked a blistering 1:33.669 to secure the benchmark time for the week in Sakhir.

‘A step above everyone else’

Despite the Brackley-based team sweeping the top two spots, the mood in the paddock suggests the raw timesheets may be deceiving.

Russell echoed the sentiments of team principal Toto Wolff, suggesting that the true pace lies with the reigning constructors’ champions and their fledgling engine division.

With the sport entering a new era of power unit regulations in 2026, data regarding electrical deployment has become the primary battleground.

“Probably the most concerning thing for everyone is looking at Red Bull’s performance, especially on their engine side, they look a step above everyone else.”

George Russell, Mercedes Driver

The British driver offered a stark assessment of the deficit facing the field.

“You’re talking in the order of half a second to a second in deployment over the course of a lap. So, it’s pretty scary to see that difference.”

Red Bull, seemingly content to hide their true hand, split duties between Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.

Neither driver troubled the headline times, finishing more than 1.5 seconds adrift of Antonelli in fifth and sixth respectively.

Hamilton’s Ferrari halted

Lewis Hamilton ended the day third fastest as he continues to acclimatise to life at the Scuderia.

The seven-time world champion logged a mammoth 138 laps in the SF-26, posting a best effort of 1:34.209.

However, the day ended on an ominous note for the Italian marquee.

With just ten minutes remaining on the clock, Hamilton was forced to pull over in the Turn Four run-off area.

The car failed to return to the pits under its own power, though Ferrari have yet to clarify if the stoppage was a genuine reliability failure or a precautionary system check.

McLaren in the mix

Oscar Piastri endured a grueling schedule for McLaren, racking up 153 laps in the MCL40.

The Australian finished fourth, eight-tenths shy of the ultimate pace, as the Woking team continued to validate their own 2026 package.

While Mercedes hold the headlines, the psychological warfare over who truly leads the pecking order is only just beginning.

Lewis Hamilton brought the final session in Bahrain to a premature and confusing conclusion after his car ground to a halt on track, sparking immediate speculation regarding a potential fuel miscalculation.

The seven-time world champion was navigating the Sakhir circuit when his machine suddenly lost power.

Marshals were forced to deploy the red flags immediately, suspending the action for all competitors.

Mystery surrounds sudden stop

Confusion reigned in the paddock as the vehicle coasted to a standstill without obvious signs of smoke or fire.

Observers noted the abrupt nature of the failure, leading to theories that the issue might not be mechanical in nature.

“Wonder if he ran out of fuel?”

That was the immediate reaction from the commentary box as the veteran driver climbed from the cockpit.

Testing reliability concerns

Any loss of track time represents a significant blow during these critical pre-season preparations.

Teams utilize every second of the Bahrain sessions to gather vital data on aerodynamics and tyre degradation.

The British racing icon will be hoping this late disruption does not foreshadow reliability gremlins for the season ahead.