Fernando Alonso expressed clear satisfaction after his Aston Martin showed a noticeable improvement during the Hungarian Grand Prix practice session on Friday, describing the car as "much better" and more planted on the tarmac. The team unveiled a substantial upgrade package – the first of its size this season – featuring sixteen new components that were intended to address the chronic lack of pace that has plagued the outfit since the start of the 2024 campaign.
Aston Martin entered the current regulatory era with lofty ambitions. The new set of technical rules, introduced at the beginning of the season, were marketed as a chance for the British‑based squad to close the gap to the sport's traditional "big four" – Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren – and to become a genuine title contender.
Instead, the team has endured a frustrating year, hampered by a severely under‑performing Honda power unit and a chassis that, despite being overseen by the legendary Adrian Newey, has failed to deliver the expected performance levels. While rivals such as Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull have rolled out multiple incremental upgrades throughout the year, Aston Martin opted to wait until the eleventh round in Budapest before introducing a single, comprehensive package.
The decision was a gamble: a large‑scale overhaul could either unlock hidden potential or exacerbate existing problems. The day was a mixed bag for the team. Lance Stroll’s left‑rear suspension failed during the first practice session, forcing him to miss the second session entirely.
Alonso, however, managed to complete a relatively smooth run 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 before Honda is slated to deliver a major engine update at the Dutch Grand Prix following the summer break. Alonso highlighted the need for gains on both fronts, noting that the forthcoming engine revision at Zandvoort will be a critical test for the team. "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 explained. "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 overall, sandwiched between the two 2026 newcomers from Cadillac – may have seemed modest, but it was compromised by a lap that was invalidated for exceeding track limits.
Additional factors, such as traffic and a red‑flag interruption caused by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto crashing, further limited his ability to set a clean time. Nevertheless, Alonso remained hopeful that the car could extract more speed on Saturday’s qualifying. "I think it was tricky with the red flag and some of the traffic to maximise the lap," he said. "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 joined Aston Martin from Red Bull in March 2025 and is widely regarded as the most decorated designer in Formula 1 history, was candid about the team’s short‑term objectives. In a press conference between the two practice sessions, he stated that the immediate aim is to achieve "respectability" and, ideally, to score at least one point. "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," Newey explained.
The day also featured a setback for Stroll, whose car could not be repaired in time for the second practice after the left‑rear suspension failure caused him to spin and lose control. Newey clarified that the broken component was not part of the new package; rather, it was an older part that became problematic because it was surrounded by 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." Looking ahead, the weekend schedule is packed with support series and the main event. On Saturday, the F3 Sprint, the final practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, and the F2 Sprint will precede qualifying, which determines the grid for Sunday's race. Sunday’s program includes the F3 Feature Race, the Porsche Supercup, the F2 Feature Race, and finally the Hungarian Grand Prix itself, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 and streaming options via NOW.
The team hopes that the combination of the chassis overhaul and the upcoming engine upgrade will finally allow Aston Martin to break out of the doldrums and start challenging the front‑running teams, turning the promise of the new regulations into tangible results on the track.