Fernando Alonso emerged as one of the main talking points at Sepang after returning to the points with an unexpected eighth-place finish for Aston Martin, but the Spaniard was far from entirely satisfied. Beyond concerns about his own car, the two-time Formula 1 world champion questioned the FIA over the handling of the chaotic start and subsequent red flag following the software problems that affected several 2026 power units.
The unusual sequence unfolded during the formation phase behind the Safety Car, when the extremely slow running caused problems for several drivers. Max Verstappen was among the first to experience difficulties with energy delivery, before Lewis Hamilton suffered an even more serious issue. The Ferrari driver went for more than a minute without a response from the accelerator before eventually getting moving again after completing a full system reset. The technical problem and the circumstances surrounding the suspended start are explained in more detail in our report on Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 F1 software glitch at Sepang.
Fernando Alonso questions FIA over Sepang red flag
The chaotic situation did not sit well with Fernando Alonso. By the time the red flag was shown, the Safety Car had caught and almost lapped part of the group that had remained behind Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso, by contrast, had immediately passed the slow-moving Ferrari and was running much further up the order.
Fernando Alonso interpreted the subsequent stoppage as a decision that helped Lewis Hamilton recover his position and said he expected an explanation from the FIA.
“They will have to give us an explanation,” Fernando Alonso said after the race, as reported by Spanish newspaper AS. “This year we have retired in half of the races, yet there has never been a Grand Prix interruption because of our retirement. Hamilton was stopped at the side of the track and they had to interrupt the race to let him recover his position. A little strange, but I imagine the FIA will explain it to us in Singapore. In any case, there is too much technology and the spectators cannot appreciate it.”
The extraordinary sequence came during the exceptional 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, where difficult weather conditions and the behaviour of the new-generation power units combined to create an unusual start procedure.
Fernando Alonso explains how he recovered into the points
Putting the FIA controversy aside, Fernando Alonso also explained how he managed to climb back into the points despite being caught out by a strategic mistake of his own. Aston Martin started him on dry-weather tyres while the circuit was still extremely wet, leaving him needing to stay in contention and wait for the race to turn back in his favour.
“In these races there is always a Safety Car,” Fernando Alonso explained. “When the track is this tricky, some have dry tyres and others have intermediates, but there is always some accident. Something always happens that, at some point in the race, brings the field back together. I knew I had to try to stay on the lead lap and wait for a Safety Car, and in the end it arrived.”
Season-best result does not fully satisfy Fernando Alonso
Eighth place represented Fernando Alonso’s best result of the season and lifted him to seven points in the championship, level with Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz. Despite that progress, the two-time world champion was not especially satisfied with Aston Martin’s overall race performance.
“I expected a little more from our car in terms of race performance,” Fernando Alonso said. “We were going well, but there was a lot of oversteer. At the pit stop we adjusted the front wing a little, but we still have to work.”
The closing laps also became complicated as Lando Norris and Nico Hülkenberg began applying pressure from behind. Fernando Alonso believes the way the drivers were managing their batteries played an important role in allowing him to defend his position.
“I have to review the Grand Prix. In the final laps I found myself in trouble with Norris and Hülkenberg behind me. But I think they had discharged their batteries and needed a couple of laps to recharge them. Mine, on the other hand, was at maximum, and during those two laps I used all of it on the straights.”
“These are circumstances that can help or hurt you during the race if you are able to understand and interpret them,” Fernando Alonso concluded.
