Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin are hoping to build on their strong Silverstone showing at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. Aston made a welcome return to form at their home race.
Alonso finished eighth, with teammate Lance Stroll one place ahead in seventh. It was only their second double-points result since the Australian GP in March.
Aston started the year scrapping with Mercedes for the role of F1’s fourth-fastest team. But while the Silver Arrows have made a breakthrough with their car and joined the fight at the front, Lawrence Stroll’s squad has slipped into the midfield.
Prior to the British GP, the team had failed to score points at back-to-back races, including the Sprint weekend in Austria. Alonso finished a miserable P19 at the Red Bull Ring, albeit after receiving a 10-second penalty for his collision with Zhou Guanyu.
Their response last time out was much needed to maintain motivation levels within the team. But the Hungaroring, which is dominated by slow and medium-speed corners, is a very different proposition.
Aston already look destined to finish fifth in the constructors’ championship. They’ve scored more than double the points of RB behind (68 vs 31), but are now 153 behind Mercedes.
Anthony Davidson says Fernando Alonso gave Lance Stroll ‘sarky’ advice
The team split their programmes during the first practice session in Budapest. Alonso ran with upgrades on his car, while Stroll took to the track in the older version of AMR24.
This was to offer the team a reference point. They could clearly see where they had improved, and whether their projections were correlating with what was happening on the circuit.
At one stage, Alonso was asked to provide some set-up guidance for his teammate Stroll. It’s unclear why, but he simply replied ‘yeah, good luck’.
Speaking in commentary for Sky Sports F1, pundit Anthony Davidson called it a ‘sarky’ comment. The drivers are facing a unique test this weekend, with track temperatures soaring beyond 30 degrees.
“Very, very challenging day is what I’m seeing so far here in free practice one,” Davidson said. “We heard Fernando’s sarky comment to his teammate of ‘good luck mate’, because that’s a real handful.”
Fernando Alonso ‘always complaining’ about one F1 team over the radio
Alonso signed his new Aston Martin contract in April, just after the Japanese Grand Prix. He finished in an impressive P6 at Suzuka, leaving him level on points with George Russell (24) and ahead of Lewis Hamilton (10).
The team’s regression since must have been demoralising for the two-time world champion. He’s already offered some glimpses of his frustration.
For instance, Alonso has repeatedly complained about the Alpine drivers over the team radio. One journalist suspects that he has a ‘chip on his shoulder’ following his acrimonious exit from Enstone at the end of 2022.
As he pursues that elusive third title, he may now be pinning his hopes on the 2026 regulation changes. Having already signed former Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell and Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile, Aston Martin are now the favourites to land Adrian Newey.
