Fernando Alonso praised the latest development package for his Aston Martin, describing the car’s behavior as "much better" after the team rolled out a substantial upgrade during the Friday practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The British‑based outfit had entered the 2024 season with high hopes, viewing the new set of technical regulations that debuted at the start of the year as a chance to break the long‑standing monopoly of the sport’s traditional "big four" and to mount a genuine title challenge. Instead, the campaign has been plagued by a severely under‑performing Honda power unit and a chassis that, despite being overseen by the legendary Adrian Newey, has failed to meet the lofty expectations set for it.
While most rivals have introduced several incremental upgrades throughout the year, Aston Martin chose to wait until the eleventh round in Budapest to unveil a single, comprehensive package comprising sixteen new components. The timing proved a double‑edged sword. During the opening practice, Lance Stroll’s car suffered a left‑rear suspension failure that forced him to miss the second session, but Alonso managed a relatively smooth run and left the paddock visibly pleased. "It was much better," Alonso explained.
"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 before Honda is expected to deliver a significant power‑unit update at the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer hiatus. Alonso highlighted the importance of gains on both fronts: "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.
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." In second practice Alonso’s lap time placed him 19th, sandwiched between the two 2026 newcomers from Cadillac.
The result was somewhat misleading, however, because he lost a faster lap due to a track‑limits infringement. Additional setbacks, such as traffic and a red‑flag interruption caused by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto crashing, left Alonso hopeful that more speed could be extracted on Saturday. "It was tricky with the red flag and some of the traffic to maximise the lap," he said.
"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 joined Aston Martin from Red Bull in March 2025 as the most decorated designer in Formula 1 history, admitted that his immediate aim is to restore a sense of "respectability" to the team.
Speaking at a press conference between Friday’s two practice sessions, he confessed that the opening races had been "a complete nightmare" and that the priority now was to secure at least a point and demonstrate that the car could compete on a respectable level. "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," Newey said.
The day’s drama continued when Stroll’s left‑rear suspension broke during the final stages of the first practice, sending him into a spin and ultimately ruling him out of the second session because the team could not repair the car in time. Newey clarified that the failed component was not part of the new package; rather, it was an older part that became problematic because it was surrounded by freshly introduced elements. "The area involved was actually not changed," Newey explained. "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 engineering crew are now busy analysing the failure to determine exactly what went wrong and how to prevent a recurrence. As Newey put it, "As you can imagine, everybody is feverishly trying to understand exactly what happened as we speak. It’s only once we have an understanding that we can comment on what we do next." Looking ahead, the schedule for the weekend includes a third practice session on Friday afternoon, followed by qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday.
Sky Sports will broadcast all sessions live, and fans can stream the action via NOW without a long‑term contract. In summary, while Aston Martin’s season to date has been far from the breakthrough they envisioned, the new upgrade package appears to have delivered a tangible improvement in handling and predictability. Alonso’s cautious optimism, combined with Newey’s focus on incremental progress and a forthcoming engine upgrade, suggests that the team may finally be turning a corner.
The true test will come in the Netherlands and later in the season, but for now the atmosphere in the garage seems more hopeful than it has been all year.