After finishing outside the points at Suzuka, Fernando Alonso believes his 11th place was a “small miracle” as he assessed his Aston Martin’s speed.

After qualifying in 13th for the Japanese Grand Prix, Alonso was able to move up to 11th but missed out on a points score as he came home three seconds behind Haas’ Oliver Bearman.

Fernando Alonso: My car felt pretty average

With Aston Martin unable to add to its 10 points scored from the first two race weekends, Japan was the first race of the season Alonso finished following retirements in Australia and China.

But the two-time F1 World Champion went home empty-handed and cut a rueful figure as he summed up the events of the race while speaking to Spain’s DAZN afterward.

“I don’t think [points could have been possible],” he said.

“Truth is, we’re not fast enough to be in the top ten. And I guess we’re not even fast enough to be in the top eighteen.

“So being in P11 is a small miracle. The car felt pretty average the whole race. We didn’t have much grip.

“We changed tyres to cover [Yuki] Tsunoda and try to keep P11 and see if anything happened to grab points.

“If I hadn’t stopped on that lap, I would’ve come out P12 or P13. We also have the slowest car on the straights, so if I had dropped back, I wouldn’t have been able to overtake on the straight.

“We were in a spiral that was difficult to get out of.”

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Despite being a forgettable race, Alonso said he could take pride in his own level of performance after feeling he had maximised what was available from his AMR25.

“It’s been a totally anonymous race,” he said.

“No one’s going to remember, as I always say sometimes, P11 in Suzuka in 2025, but it’s without a doubt one of my best races personally.

“I got the maximum out of the car and a bit more. That always leaves a good taste in your mouth, but the result is what it is and we have to accept it.”

The stagnant nature of the 53-lap race at Suzuka, which ended with the same top 10 as in qualifying, with only a single position swap between Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar, is indicative of the Japanese circuit’s nature, Alonso believes, which lends itself to driving enjoyment but poor racing.

“I try to think about the past, and Suzuka has always been like this,” he said.

“When we arrive on Thursdays, we always say it’s the best circuit in the world and the best Grand Prix, and then on Sunday, we always say there’s no overtaking.

“It’s a bit like Monaco. We’re all excited to race there. It’s an incredible weekend: all the VIPs are there, the glamour… and then on Sunday we’re surprised again that there’s no overtaking. This is Suzuka, and that’s Monaco. It’s also part of the charm of Formula 1. Saturday is extremely important.

“You also have that adrenaline from qualifying day. It’ll be the same in Monaco, too. Maybe with the new regulations next year and smaller cars, there’ll be some overtaking, but today it was difficult.”

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