Fernando Alonso praised the noticeable improvement in his Aston Martin after the team unveiled a substantial upgrade package during the practice sessions for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Friday. The British‑Spanish driver described the car as feeling "much better," noting that it seemed more firmly planted on the tarmac and offered a more predictable handling balance, especially through the corners.
Aston Martin entered the 2024 season with the ambition of turning the new set of technical regulations—introduced at the start of the year—into a springboard for challenging the sport's traditional "big four" teams and mounting a serious title bid. The reality, however, has been far from the lofty expectations. The partnership with Honda has been plagued by a power unit that has struggled to deliver the required performance, while the chassis, overseen by legendary designer Adrian Newey, has failed to meet the aerodynamic and mechanical standards the team hoped to achieve. While rivals have rolled out a series of incremental upgrades throughout the year, Aston Martin chose to hold back until the eleventh round in Budapest, where they introduced a comprehensive "mega‑package" comprising sixteen new components.
The decision to concentrate the development into a single, large‑scale update was a gamble, but the initial feedback from the drivers suggests that the gamble may be paying off. The day was not without its setbacks.
Lance Stroll suffered a failure of the left‑rear suspension on his car during the opening practice session, which forced him to miss the second practice period entirely. Despite this hiccup, Alonso managed to complete a relatively normal running stint and emerged from the day with a cautiously optimistic outlook.
"It was much better," Alonso said after completing his laps. "The car felt more glued to the ground and easier to drive, to an extent, when you are in control of the grip in the corners.
A more predictable and easier car, but still a long way to go for us. Obviously, this is only the first step." The chassis upgrade arrives just ahead of Honda's scheduled delivery of a major power‑unit overhaul, which is expected to be introduced at the Dutch Grand Prix following the summer break. Alonso emphasized the need for progress on both fronts, stating, "We need to find more performance both on the chassis and on the engine. Zandvoort will be a good test for us with the new engine.
Step by step, but definitely in the direction." He added that the on‑track results matched the team's expectations for the new package: "It looks better, for sure, and it's more or less what we expected. This is the most encouraging thing, that what we thought the new package would do the car actually translated into reality on track. That kind of correlation is what we need also for next year's project, so I think there is a positive atmosphere in the team now." Alonso's qualifying position in the second practice session—19th on the timesheet—might appear modest, especially as he finished between the two 2026 newcomers from Cadillac.
However, his lap time was compromised by a track‑limits infringement that resulted in a time penalty. Additional factors such as traffic and a red‑flag interruption caused by Alpine's Franco Colapinto crashing further limited his ability to extract maximum performance. Reflecting on the session, Alonso said, "I think it was tricky with the red flag and some of the traffic to maximise the lap. So, maybe there is a little bit more to come from our side, but maybe it's the same for everybody, so let's see tomorrow.
We concentrated on testing the new parts and trying to understand the setup direction, which maybe can be very different to what we've run at the last few events, so I think there is more potential to unlock hopefully tonight and into tomorrow's qualy." Newey, who arrived at Aston Martin from Red Bull in March 2025 as the most decorated designer in Formula One history, outlined a realistic short‑term goal for the outfit: achieving "respectability" on the track. Speaking at a press conference between the two practice sessions, he admitted, "The first races have been a complete nightmare. Hopefully, we can get at least a point and respectability now.
I think that is the immediate goal. From there, we can try to keep moving forward." The team's challenges were further highlighted when Stroll's car could not be repaired in time for the second practice session after the left‑rear suspension failure caused a spin at the end of the first session. Newey explained that the broken component was not a brand‑new part but rather an existing piece that had become problematic due to its proximity to the newly introduced elements.
"The area involved was actually not changed," he said. "We are short on spares because the cladding and so forth is different, so there are some minor changes in that area. In that sense, it's very unexpected." Both Newey and the drivers emphasized that understanding the root cause of the failure is essential before deciding on the next steps.
"As you can imagine, everybody is feverishly trying to understand exactly what went wrong and what happened as we speak. It's only once we have an understanding that we can comment on what we do next," Newey added. Looking ahead, the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend continues with a packed schedule: a third practice session on Friday afternoon, followed by F2 and F3 support races, and the main qualifying session on Saturday afternoon. The race itself is slated for Sunday, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 and streaming options via NOW.
Fans will be watching closely to see whether the upgraded Aston Martin can translate the promising practice feedback into a competitive performance on race day, and whether the forthcoming Honda engine upgrade will finally provide the power needed to move the team out of the back‑marker zone and into genuine contention.