After completing the round of races in Asia, Formula One crossed the Pacific to Austin, Texas, for Round 18 of the 2026 World Championship and the opening race of another triple-header on the American continent. The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) has hosted the United States Grand Prix since 2012 and has become one of the most popular venues on the calendar. The 5.513 km circuit features 20 corners and considerable changes in elevation, most notably the steep uphill approach to turn one, followed by a series of fast sweeping corners. The long back straight leads into a heavy braking zone, while the slower, technical final sector places considerable demands on traction and tyre management. The combination of high-speed direction changes, slower corners and lengthy straights requires a compromise between downforce and straight-line performance, while the anticipated high temperatures could make tyre degradation an important factor in Sunday's 56-lap race.
For Aston Martin, Austin offered an opportunity to recover from a disappointing Singapore weekend, where Alonso finished P16 and Stroll retired with an overheating clutch. The AMR26 had shown improved cornering performance at Sepang, where Alonso secured four points, but its lack of straight-line speed and continuing driveability problems remained significant limitations. The team also arrived with a distinctive one-off livery celebrating five years of its partnership with Cognizant, which began when Aston Martin returned to Formula One in 2021. With the varied demands of COTA, Alonso and Stroll would be hoping to find a more competitive balance and challenge the midfield once again.
Free Practice
Friday's opening Free Practice session got underway in The Lone Star State with both Aston Martins taking to the track promptly on the C3 medium compound tyres, as the team began evaluating the AMR26 and getting up to speed around the Circuit of the Americas. Several drivers, including Verstappen, were already complaining about the particularly bumpy track surface, which added another challenge as the teams worked to establish their setups. Stroll made a reasonable start, briefly moving into P9 before returning to the garage, although he was quickly back on track. After the opening 15 minutes, the Canadian had slipped to P11 and Alonso was in P15, while Leclerc headed the timesheets. Four drivers had yet to set representative lap times, so the order was still developing. Alonso then reported to his engineers that he suspected something was wrong with his front wing, although he subsequently improved to P10 before returning to the garage for further attention.
Both drivers continued alternating between short runs and visits to the garage as Aston Martin made adjustments to the cars. At the halfway point, Alonso had dropped to P16, with Stroll two places ahead in P14, while Leclerc continued to set the pace. The pair returned to the track shortly afterwards, but neither made significant progress and both were back in their garages as the session entered its final quarter. The team then switched both cars to soft compound tyres for their qualifying simulations. Alonso improved to P12, with Stroll immediately behind, in P13, but neither managed to move further up the order during the closing minutes. Leclerc remained fastest when the chequered flag fell, while Alonso finished P12 after completing 22 laps and Stroll P13, having accumulated 25 laps. With both drivers having sampled the medium and soft compounds, the team had gathered useful information to assess ahead of the second session.
FP2 began later in the afternoon with both Aston Martins taking to the track on hard tyres, completing the team's evaluation of all three compounds available for the weekend. The circuit quickly became busy as the rest of the drivers began their respective programmes. Stroll returned to the garage after his initial running. At the quarter-hour mark, Alonso was P14 and Stroll P17, both in their respective garages for further adjustments. As the session approached its halfway point, Alonso and Stroll switched to soft tyres and headed back onto the track. However, the faster compound brought little improvement in their relative positions and, at the halfway stage, Alonso was P17 with Stroll immediately behind in P18. One of Alonso's efforts was hampered when Russell got in his way towards the end of a fast lap, compromising his opportunity to record a better time. With 15 minutes remaining, Alonso had improved slightly to P16 and Stroll to P17. Both drivers subsequently returned to the track for their final runs, although this time Aston Martin elected to use the hard compound tyres again, prioritising gathering further information about their performance rather than attempting to improve their positions on the timesheets. Neither driver improved before the end of the session. Leclerc once again finished fastest, with Alonso P16 after completing 26 laps, 1.944 seconds behind the Ferrari. Stroll was just 0.034 seconds slower than his teammate in P17, having completed 28 laps. The session was exceptionally notable for an extraordinary 207 lap times being deleted for drivers exceeding track limits!
Across Friday's two sessions, Aston Martin completed a total of 101 laps, having evaluated all three tyre compounds while making adjustments to both cars. Although FP1 had placed Alonso and Stroll comfortably in the midfield, FP2 left them further down the order, with less than four hundredths of a second separating the two AMR26s. The team would now analyse the accumulated data ahead of Saturday's final practice session and Qualifying.
Saturday's final Free Practice session got underway with little urgency from the teams to send their cars onto the Circuit of the Americas. Initially, only Perez and Colapinto ventured out and a quarter of the session had elapsed before the majority of the field, including Alonso and Stroll, began their programmes. Both Aston Martins were running on medium compound tyres, with Alonso initially moving into P5 and Stroll P7, although several drivers had yet to record representative lap times. Track limits continued to cause problems during this session as well, with both Norris and Leclerc losing lap times during the opening half of the session. As the rest of the field completed their runs, the Aston Martins gradually slipped down the order. At the halfway point, Alonso was P15 and Stroll P19, with Leclerc heading the timesheets again, although both Hamilton and Verstappen had also been fastest during the session.
With 15 minutes remaining, Alonso had slipped to P16 and Stroll to P20. Hamilton was now the fastest after Leclerc's quicker lap and Antonelli’s best effort had been deleted for exceeding track limits. Meanwhile, there was a flurry of activity in the Aston Martin garage, where Stroll's AMR26 had been raised on jacks as the mechanics investigated an issue towards the rear underside of the car. As the final five minutes approached, Alonso remained P16 while Stroll had dropped to P21. The Canadian subsequently managed to improve during the closing minutes, climbing to P18, but Alonso was unable to find any additional pace and stayed P16. Hamilton finished the session fastest, leaving Aston Martin towards the rear of the field. After the relatively encouraging positions achieved in Friday's FP1, the team's subsequent performance suggested that progressing beyond the opening round of Qualifying would be demanding.
Qualifying
There was a queue at the end of the pit lane when Q1 began, with both Aston Martins among the drivers keen to hit the track early and get three attempts in. Stroll initially recorded the second-fastest time, ahead of both the Williams and Cadillac drivers, although the position was short-lived as the leading contenders completed their opening laps. The Aston Martins returned to their garages for adjustments before heading back on track with soft compound tyres bolted on for their second attempts. With ten minutes remaining, Alonso was P14 and Stroll P16, leaving both drivers close to the elimination zone. Stroll subsequently improved to P14, but Alonso then produced a quicker lap to move into P12, pushing his teammate back to P15. With five minutes remaining, Alonso was P13 and Stroll P15, both still in contention for Q2 but with little margin for error.
The pair returned to the pits before heading out for their final attempts. As the chequered flag fell and the remaining drivers completed their laps, Alonso just managed to squeeze through into Q2, qualifying in P16 and occupying the final position available for progression. Stroll was less fortunate, finishing P18 and bringing his Qualifying to an end. Norris topped the opening round. As he drove his AMR26 into the pit lane, hydraulic fluid could be seen burning around the rear of Alonso's car, near the exhaust but the team subsequently reported that the fire had extinguished itself by the time he reached the garage and the car was fine, although it did get attention during the interlude before Q2.
Although Alonso was through his lack of pace was self-evident. After the initial runs in Q2, the Spaniard was only P15 and that was due to Bortoleto running wide and having his lap deleted for exceeding track limits. With three minutes remaining all those that needed to headed back out for their final attempts. Alonso crossed the line, initially in 16th place, 1.62 seconds behind Leclerc in P1. However, Bearman then had his final lap time deleted for exceeding track limits and that elevated Alonso to P15. That brought Aston Martin's participation in Qualifying to an end, with neither driver able to challenge for a place in the final round.
The battle for pole position then developed into an absorbing contest, especially as there was a significant World Championship implication - Antonelli could secure the Drivers' Championship on Sunday if he won the race, provided Russell finished ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower. After the opening runs in Q3, he looked on course and grabbed provisional pole ahead of the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Hadjar. Antonelli then went on to maintain his advantage during the final runs to secure pole position, with Verstappen just behind him and Hadjar third.
For Aston Martin, the final Qualifying positions did not reflect the starting order for Sunday's race. Grid penalties for Lindblad, Bortoleto and Colapinto were expected to promote Alonso to P12 and Stroll to P16, offering Fernando a more realistic opportunity to challenge for points than his Q2 performance had initially suggested. The two drivers also reported contrasting experiences with the AMR26. Alonso felt that the car's performance had improved slightly around the Circuit of the Americas, while Stroll complained of insufficient rear grip and oversteer – though earlier in the weekend he too had felt the car was responding better. We would soon see.
Race
As Alonso’s car slipped into 12th slot on the grid for Sunday's 56-lap United States Grand Prix the Aston Martin mechanics paid particular attention to the rear of his AMR26 following the hydraulic fluid fire near the exhaust during Saturday's Qualifying. The team concluded that the incident had been caused by heat generated by the Honda power unit and, after inspecting the car, determined that it was safe to race. Stroll, meanwhile, would have to relinquish his P16 starting position. The team had opted to make setup changes and undertake damage repairs on his car following Qualifying, as well as replacing the power unit and battery. As these changes were made under Parc Fermé conditions, the Canadian was required to start from the pit lane. When the tyre blankets were removed ahead of the formation lap it was revealed that Alonso was on soft compound tyres, while Stroll had opted for medium compound tyres.
When the lights went out, Antonelli held his position at the front but Leclerc immediately passed Verstappen off the start, although the Red Bull driver quickly recovered and reclaimed second position. Hamilton also made a strong start and overtook Hadjar. Further back, Alonso's race began badly. There was contact with Albon's Williams during the opening lap which damaged a bargeboard on the AMR26, compromising its aerodynamic performance which would hamper the car’s running for the rest of the race. The Spaniard lost five places and completed the first lap in P17, undoing much of the advantage gained through the pre-race grid penalties. Stroll emerged from the pit lane in P22 but passed Bottas on the following lap to begin his recovery. Alonso, having composed himself, made his first move forward on lap five, passing Sainz, and soon found himself within a second of Hülkenberg. Stroll was also making progress, closing in on Pérez before passing the Cadillac on lap seven. Alonso then attempted to overtake Albon at the beginning of lap nine, briefly getting ahead of the Williams before Albon reclaimed the position through the fast sequence of corners in the opening sector. By lap ten, Alonso was P16 and Stroll P20.
Three laps after his first attempt, Alonso finally made the move on Albon stick, passing the Williams on lap 12 to secure P15. At the front, Antonelli still led the race, ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton, as Verstappen had dived into the pits for an early tyre change and rejoined in P8. Alonso's progress continued when Bearman encountered problems with his Haas on lap 15 and dropped to the back of the field, promoting Alonso to P14 and Stroll to P19. Stroll then made his first pit stop on lap 16, switching from medium to soft tyres and rejoined behind Bearman. But the Haas driver subsequently had to serve a penalty, while Sainz also stopped, allowing Stroll to recover positions. Alonso, meanwhile, still on his original soft tyres, moved up to P13 when Lindblad pitted. Therefore, at the end of lap 20, Alonso was P13 and Stroll P21. The Canadian made further progress when he passed Bottas again on lap 22 and gained another place when Perez came into the pits on lap 25. Meanwhile Alonso benefited from the pit stops that Gasly, Bortoleto and Lawson had to make, so that by lap 25 he had climbed to P10, placing Aston Martin temporarily in the points. At half-distance, Verstappen led from Leclerc and Antonelli, while Alonso remained P10 and yet to make his mandatory tyre change and Stroll was P18. Alonso finally came into the pits on lap 29, switched to medium compound tyres and rejoined in P14. Stroll moved up to P17 when Colapinto stopped, before passing Sainz on lap 32 to reach P16. At the front, Verstappen had made another stop, losing considerable time in the pits and rejoining fifth, while Antonelli passed Leclerc on the same lap to take the lead. By lap 40, Alonso remained in P14, with Stroll P16. Two laps later Lindblad pitted, moving Alonso up to P13 where he appeared to reach a plateau of performance. Stroll made his second stop on lap 43, bolting on another set of soft tyres and rejoined in P17. Shortly afterwards, Bortoleto passed Alonso, who then also came into the pits for a second tyre change. Alonso's lack of progress was subsequently explained when Aston Martin called him into the pits to replace his damaged front wing, a consequence of the opening-lap contact with Albon. He also took on another set of soft tyres, rejoining in P17 behind Stroll. The unscheduled stop effectively ended the team's planned one-stop strategy and any realistic prospect of a points finish. With ten laps remaining Stroll was P16 and Alonso P17, while Antonelli continued to lead from Norris and Verstappen. Stroll passed Albon on lap 49 to move into P15, with Alonso following suit on lap 50 to climb to P16 but that was the extent of it, despite both Aston Martins running on the softer, theoretically faster tyres for the final stint, neither was able to challenge for points. With five laps remaining, Bottas pulled off track with a problem, bringing out yellow flags and prompting Race Control to deploy the Virtual Safety Car. The interruption was brief, with the Cadillac recovered and racing resuming for the closing laps. Mercifully, there were no changes to the Aston Martins' positions.
Antonelli cruised across the finish line to secure victory, with Leclerc in second and Verstappen third. Despite his win, the Mercedes driver didn’t get the points differential to secure the World Championship in Austin, leaving the title potentially to be decided at the following weekend's Mexican Grand Prix. Stroll and Alonso took the chequered flag in P15 and P16 respectively, the two Aston Martins finishing line astern and more than a lap behind the leading cars. For Alonso, the opening-lap contact with Albon had compromised his race from the outset, while the team's strategy of extending his first stint on soft tyres had temporarily brought him into the points before his pit stops dropped him back down the order. Stroll had recovered from his pit-lane start and made several overtakes, but neither driver had sufficient pace to challenge the midfield consistently.
Reaction and Comment
It was most unfortunate for Alonso that the damage sustained on the opening lap eventually forced Aston Martin to abandon its planned one-stop strategy. He had been running as high as P13 in the closing stages, and without the additional stop he might have finished several places further up the order. After the race, he said, "We were quite competitive today and were having a strong race, but the damage to our car compromised everything for us. It felt like we were chasing down a potential points-scoring position as we were running in P12 with a damaged car. The damage was sustained from contact on lap one when Alex [Albon] hit us going into Turn 11. We carried on, but eventually had to pit for a new front wing and that dropped us down the order. We have some positives to take from this weekend despite the result today." Stroll’s summation of the race was, "We had to make some changes to the car after Qualifying because of damage, so we started from the pit lane. Our pace was a bit more competitive today and I was racing [Alex] Albon for a lot of the race. There was a bit of overtaking too which was nice. We saw a big loss of load in the final laps though, so we need to go away and understand that." The teams and the paddock have all packed up and are moving straight on to the Mexico City Grand Prix next weekend for the second race of the triple header on the American continent.