A former Formula 1 world champion has admitted that it has been ‘heartbreaking’ for him to have to watch one particular driver struggle right now.

Heading into the 2026 season, the FIA and Formula One completely revamped the sport’s technical regulations. These changes have affected some teams more than others.

While Mercedes are dominating at the top of both the Drivers’ Championship and Constructors’ Championship, the likes of McLaren and Red Bull have taken a backwards step from their position of competing for both championships during the ground effect era.

Former World Champion Has Been in Dreadful Form in 2026

However, it has been an especially poor campaign for Aston Martin, who have performed well below par, despite their high expectations for the new season, with the Silverstone-based team recruiting Adrian Newey to oversee a new era brand-new engine supplier, Honda.

To date, the 2026 campaign has been nothing short of a disaster for Aston Martin as both drivers have struggled for form and results.

Former two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso, has struggled to compete in the AMR26, which has led to many rumours circulating regarding a potential retirement for the 44-year-old star if things don’t improve.

In a recent interview with the official F1 site, former world champion Nigel Mansell pointed out how much of a shame it is to see Alonso fighting at the back of the field.

Heading into the British Grand Prix this weekend, Alonso currently sits in 18th place in the Drivers’ Championship with just a sole point, which he earned at the Monaco GP following a post-race penalty for Cadillac driver Sergio Perez.

‘Heartbreaking’ – Former World Champion Reacts to F1 Driver’s Current Struggles

Mansell remarked that Alonso (and teammate Lance Stroll) deserved far better than they had been given by their team.

“Fernando is such a class act, it’s just a shame that he’s not got the car or the engine to go racing. I have so many compliments for Alonso. He’s been in the job for so long now, so many races.

“He’s a great statesman, a wonderful legend, and an incredible world champion. I look forward to, and will rejoice, when they bring the new car and engine together. I just want to see them racing. Even if they’re only halfway up the grid, it’s better than making the numbers up.

Adrian Newey and Aston Martin are hoping to turn their poor season around heading into the Hungarian Grand Prix later this month with an upgraded B-spec of the AMR26, which many people hope will be the turning point for Alonso and Stroll to deliver some more respectable performances.

Tottenham may still make two more moves despite already racking up a record transfer spend this summer. Spurs have extraordinarily busy during the summer window so far, snapping up Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.

The last three of those signings have cost Spurs well over £200million, signaling a clear change in recruitment strategy from the North London club, and they are not done yet.

Roberto De Zerbi still has areas of his squad he wants to improve, and we are likely to see further recruitment this summer.

Jacobs expects more Tottenham transfer business

Speaking on the Market Madness podcast, GiveMeSport’s Ben Jacobs explained what Spurs have planned for the rest of the summer window. “As we’ve just heard, Tottenham are going to be ambitious. They had £100million of capital injected into the club. They want a left winger, very possibly a number nine, too, so keep an eye on Tottenham right up until deadline day, because there are more signings to come.”

Spurs are not worried about Profit and Sustainability rules complications at this point, given they have always been safely in the green when it comes to those spending rules. A spending bill of more than £300million this summer, which now looks likely, will put them a lot closer, but many of the payments will be spread out over the coming years, and the main impact is likely to be lesser spending in the next couple of years, which is likely the plan anyway due to the amount of capital being committed this summer.

Tottenham’s possible attacking targets

Spurs likely need a striker due to uncertainty over Richarlison’s future, Dominic Solanke’s injury record and the fact Randal Kolo Muani was not signed permanently. Any top team needs three good strikers competing for the position, and it would be a big surprise if De Zerbi didn’t snap up another frontman.

We haven’t seen too many number nines linked with Spurs this summer, beyond Dusan Vlahovic, who appears to be more likely to head to the Bundesliga on a free transfer this summer, with links to the Premier League cooling following his official departure from Juventus on June 30.

We have seen more wingers linked with Spurs, and one of the attractive targets will be AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, a left-winger available for around £60million or a touch less. The Portugal international has asked to leave the Italian giants, and they are likely to accommodate a move at the right price.

Manchester City’s Savinho has also been heavily linked with Spurs, but it appears the North London side are not in a rush to make a decision about the attacking spot, having concentrated on their midfield recruitment over the last couple of weeks.

Tottenham are being tipped to add depth on the right side of the field with the signing of a current Serie A star. It has been a busy summer for Spurs, who have put together a record spend to help Roberto De Zerbi hit the ground running in his first full season in charge of the club.

Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes are the last two to join, costing £185million collectively when add-ons are factored in, but having completely changed their recruitment strategy, Spurs will not end their summer investment there.

A winger and a striker are likely next on De Zerbi’s shopping list, while there could be further moves to fill out the squad.

Spurs linked with Serie A bargain winger

One of the new names to be linked with a move to Tottenham is Atalanta winger Raoul Bellanova, who could be on the market this winter. Bellanova operated as a right wing-back for the Italian club last season, making 24 league appearances, but he can play on the right as an out-and-out winger.

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Atalanta could be open to a sale this summer, and there is interest from Napoli, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Everton. All of those clubs are said to have reached out to ask about the conditions of a possible deal, and they have been informed that it will take €15-20million to do a deal, which is between £12.8million and £17.1million.

New Napoli boss Massimiliano Allegri is said to be ‘very keen’ on a deal, while it’s unclear where the player wants to play. But Tottenham’s Italian boss will surely give them an edge if he decides to leave Italy. But there may be less starting opportunities at Tottenham, with Pedro Porro hard to replace at right-back or right wing-back, while there are more productive options further ahead. What is clear is that Bellanova’s time with Atalanta is said to be over.

Bellanova a ‘buccaneering’ wing-back

Bellanova has previously been described as a ‘buccaneering right-back’, owing to his ability to get forward. The same scouting report describes him as ‘confident on the ball’, adding that he ‘can make an impact offensively’.

Bellanova has typically played wing-back during his career, also playing there for Cagliari, despite coming through as a winger. What is worth keeping in mind is that experienced wing-backs who play the position regularly are hard to find, and the signing could be something De Zerbi wants for what he wants to play with three or five at the back.