Martin Brundle admits it’s ‘sad for all F1’ how ‘painfully’ slow one team has been this season

The end of the current Formula 1 regulation cycle is now in sight, with less than a year to go until a crop of new cars appears on the grid in 2026.

This has left every team with a dilemma, as they try to determine at what point in this year’s F1 calendar they decide to completely switch focus to next season.

Some teams may have already done so, with Williams insisting that 2026 is their priority despite a fantastic start to the campaign.

The likes of McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari have more reasons to continue working on this year’s car given that they’re all within a few-tenths of a second of each other at certain tracks.

However, the rest of the paddock will be hoping that things are a lot more rosy next year, and Martin Brundle has identified one outfit who are particularly off the pace.

After six race weekends, Aston Martin have only scored 14 points and they’ve all come courtesy of Lance Stroll.

Fernando Alonso has had a particularly tough start to the year, and Brundle admitted it was ‘painful’ watching them at the Miami Grand Prix.

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Martin Brundle says it’s ‘sad for all F1’ how bad Aston Martin are this season

The Miami Grand Prix had some promising moments for Aston Martin, particularly in the Sprint Race.

Alonso qualified in the top 10 for the first time in 2025 and was comfortably running in the points, even if the team were ignoring his calls on the team radio to switch onto slick tyres.

That was until Liam Lawson took Alonso out, however, the resulting penalties that Lawson and three other drivers received promoted Stroll into the points.

Some fans suggested Alonso should retire after he spun during Sunday’s Grand Prix, and Aston Martin’s two drivers were the final classified runners when the chequered flag flew.

Writing in his Sky Sports column after the race, Brundle said, “Aston Martin were painfully the slowest cars in the race, and unless they have some magic upgrades imminent it’s going to be a long and very painful year for the Silverstone-based team, and that’s sad for all F1.”

Aston Martin have asked Adrian Newey to completely focus on 2026’s car, but he might be starting from too low a baseline to turn them into championship contenders immediately.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

Aston Martin driver plans might be thwarted by difficult 2025 F1 season

Right now, Alonso is contracted until the end of 2026, while Stroll is on a more flexible multi-year deal.

However, it’s unlikely that the Spaniard will extend his time with the team beyond next year given his age.

Lawrence Stroll has spared no expense investing in Aston Martin and it won’t be long until he turns his attention to the team’s drivers.

Aston Martin have held an interest in Max Verstappen for some time, and Red Bull are no longer in the strongest position to keep him.

Verstappen could trigger a get-out clause if his position in the drivers’ championship doesn’t improve by the summer break.

However, none of this means that a deal is on the cards any time soon.

In fact, Verstappen joining Aston Martin might be out of the question given how far off the pace they are this season.

While the team have insisted that next year and beyond is where their focus lies, the present might be doing more damage than they realise.

As Brundle suggests, some ‘magic upgrades’ might be the only thing that saves them heading into the next part of the season.