VIDEO SHOWS: 2026 ASTON MARTIN FORMULA ONE DRIVERS FERNANDO ALONSO AND LANCE STROLL SPEAKING TO MEDIA ****EDITORS NOTE: THIS IS STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 1920GMT – PLEASE DO NOT USE BEFORE THEN**** RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA (FEBRUARY 9, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASTON MARTIN F1 DRIVER FERNANDO ALONSO, ON WHETHER IT IS HIS FINAL SEASON, SAYING: "I still enjoy (racing), especially this new first year in this set of regulations will provide a lot of action and a lot of input and feedback from the driver to the teams to identify the weaknesses in the car and the way forward. So in a way, I think it's going to be a very interesting season from a driver of point of view. So I think I will enjoy it, I feel very proud to be part of this organisation. So yeah, I don't know if it's going to be the last (season for me), but my plan is to enjoy every second. And then if I make one more, you know, I will be also happy. So let's see, I will do race by race." 2. WHITE FLASH 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASTON MARTIN F1 DRIVER FERNANDO ALONSO, ON HOW HE SEES FORMULA ONE RIGHT NOW, SAYING: "I think it's in a good moment for sure. There is a lot of interest now for the sport, especially for the younger generation in the U.S. as well. And you know, this is great for everyone it's a win-win situation in terms of technology. You know, the world has changed and not only Formula One, also our road cars, they go into more electrification, a lot more hybrid power units, this kind of things that make the pure driving fun a little bit different. You know, I'm not saying it's better or worse, but it's different the way we drive the cars. And, you know, this is also something we need to consider for the future. You know, how we want the pinnacle of motorsport and Formula One to behave and what kind of technology and driving we need to to have, because at the moment maybe we're going in a direction that is not maybe the best for driving and use your pure instinct to drive the car fast. You need to drive the car efficiently more than driving the car fast. And this is something that we need to also control." 4. WHITE FLASH 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASTON MARTIN F1 DRIVER FERNANDO ALONSO, ON WHAT A GOOD SEASON WOULD LOOK LIKE FOR THE TEAM, SAYING: "A difficult question to answer without the the first feeling in terms of performance, where are we? But obviously, you know, we finished seventh last year in the Constructors' Championship. We want to improve that. We want to, you know, set a good pace into these new set of regulations and finish the season as strong as possible, even if at the beginning of the year we have some, yeah, maybe some challenges and difficulties. We want to improve as a team, to get better every race, and have a very strong second part of the season. So yeah, I would say to be in the top five, you know, in the Constructors' Championship will be a must in a way. You know, for us we are a worse team (than that) now and hopefully, you know, we can get some strong results in a couple of special races." 6. WHITE FLASH 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASTON MARTIN F1 DRIVER LANCE STROLL, SAYING: "I think we still have to be patient. I think, you know, there's still a lot of fresh blood in the team. We're making our own gearbox for the first time, Adrian (Newey) joined six months ago. Our relationship with Honda is very new, so there's still a lot of progression to be made. But, I think the future is very bright, it's very exciting. Will we, you know, show up in Melbourne in the state we want to be in? No. But do I believe we have all the tools to fight for race wins and championships? Absolutely. And that's I think what we just need to be aiming for is getting better every weekend and the development rate throughout the season's what we're focused on." 8. WHITE FLASH 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASTON MARTIN F1 DRIVER LANCE STROLL, SAYING: "I mean, we won't be satisfied until we're fighting for race wins and championships. Last year we were not performing at the level we want to be at. This year presents a new set of regulations and new opportunities, so we are going to give it our best." STORY: Two times world champion Fernando Alonso said on Monday (February 9) he planned to enjoy every second of the new Formula One season and had still not decided whether it would be his last. Speaking to Reuters Television from Aston Martin's team livery launch in Saudi Arabia ahead of testing in Bahrain, the 44-year-old Spaniard — oldest driver on the F1 grid — said he remained focused and fully motivated after a record 425 starts. Formula One is entering a new engine era this season and Aston Martin, now a works team, are also starting over with Honda replacing Mercedes as their power unit provider. The AMR26 car is also the first for the Silverstone-based team under the leadership of multi-title winning design ace Adrian Newey and technical guidance of former Ferrari man Enrico Cardile. Alonso, who last won a race in 2013 while with Ferrari, took his titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006. Aston Martin finished seventh last year and have already started on the back foot, with the new car turning up late at a recent shakedown in Barcelona. Alonso said the team could have a challenging start to the 24-race season but hoped for a much stronger showing in the second half with some 'special races'. Teammate Lance Stroll said patience was needed before assessing the Aston Martin team this season given the numerous changes the team has faced over the offseason. The Canadian driver said he felt confident that the tools were in place for the team to make a serious push and attempt to target race wins and championships in the near future. (Production: Iain Axon, Mussab Al-Khairalla)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
