New reports have come out suggesting that Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll wants engine partner Honda to contribute to paying marquee driver Fernando Alonso‘s salary. The Spaniard has reportedly asked for a substantial raise as the British outfit looks to secure his future at the team beyond 2026.
Fernando Alonso currently sits without an F1 contract for 2027, as his current deal at Aston Martin will expire at the end of the ongoing year. The 45-year-old’s future at the team, and in F1 as a whole, is currently uncertain, especially thanks to his team’s poor start to the new regulations era in 2026.
Alonso had been linked with a return to Alpine among other teams, but the French squad has now announced that Franco Colapinto is staying on in 2027 to partner Pierre Gasly. Most reports now suggest that Alonso is looking to negotiate a new deal with Aston Martin, but is asking for a new two-year contract with an annual salary of over $46 million.
F1 business journalist Marc Limacher has now reported that Aston Martin F1 owner Lawrence Stroll wants its exclusive works partner Honda to chip in on Fernando Alonso’s salary. The Canadian businessman also wants the Japanese manufacturer to increase its contribution to the British team’s budget beginning in 2027.
For now, Aston Martin and Honda are working together to try and resolve the many issues they have faced as partners in 2026. While team boss Adrian Newey led the development of the new chassis that was introduced at the Hungarian GP, the new ADUO-spec Honda power unit debuted at the Dutch GP.
It was reported following the race at Zandvoort that the Silverstone-based team expected more from the upgraded engine. But the team had much to celebrate in the Netherlands, as Fernando Alonso secured a P9 finish.
Fernando Alonso reflects on Aston Martin upgrades at the Dutch GP
Fernando Alonso described Aston Martin’s performance at the Dutch GP as “another step forward”, making a special mention of the upgraded chassis. The 2x world champion explained that the team made refinements to the new chassis at Zandvoort, and also better understood the upgrades over the summer break.
Speaking about the race in the Netherlands last week, Alonso said:
“I think [it is] another step forward, especially on the chassis side. We brought four or five components here. Also, the Budapest package was understood in the break, and with all the data available after the race, we can fine-tune the setup a little bit around that new spec, plus the new parts.
“I think now we are optimising the chassis height, and we are able to extract the maximum.”
Alonso then shared that the Honda engine did not bring as much of a boost as was expected, adding that it is difficult to see where exactly it underperformed in Zandvoort. The veteran also noted that the drivability of the AMR26 was still poor during the race, as he struggled with downshifts and engine braking, again relating to the Honda PU and gearbox.
Edited by Samyak Sharma