Fernando Alonso eyes Monaco for a spark as Aston Martin looks toward summer upgrades

It is not often you see a two-time World Champion pull his car into retirement because of a seat issue, but that is exactly what happened to Fernando Alonso in Montreal. After a gritty drive that saw him climb from P19 on the grid to run inside the top 10, the Spaniard had to cut his race short on Lap 23. Still, there is a stubborn sense of optimism there. Alonso noted that the team found better pace in Canada compared to Miami with the same package, even if the car isn't quite where they want it yet.

So, what is the plan? We are going to have to wait a while for the real jump in speed. Alonso confirmed that Aston Martin is holding back their major performance updates until around the summer break. Until that moment arrives, the team is focused on squeezing every drop of performance out of the current machine. The focus now shifts to Monaco, where the slower nature of the circuit means the engine's power is less critical, giving the team a glimmer of what Alonso called "extra hope."

Meanwhile, Lance Stroll had a difficult day at his home race, finishing in P15. He was blunt about the situation, noting that the team struggled to get the tyres up to temperature and lacked the necessary grip and straight-line speed. It is clear that for both drivers at Aston Martin, there is still a massive amount of work to do to bring the AMR26 to the level they require.