Fernando Alonso said his Aston Martin’s performance was “much better” as the team debuted a huge upgrade package during Hungarian Grand Prix practice on Friday.
Aston Martin had approached F1’s latest generation of rules, which started at the start of this season, as a major opportunity to break into the sport’s established ‘big four’ teams and challenge for titles.
Instead, they have endured a woeful campaign with a massively underperforming Honda engine and a chassis, the design of which was led by team principal Adrian Newey, that falls short of expected standards.
While other teams have brought several upgrade packages throughout the year, Aston Martin has waited until the 11th round in Budapest to bring a mega package with 16 new parts.
It was a mixed day for the team as the left-rear suspension on Lance Stroll’s car failed in first practice and ruled him out of the second session, but Alonso was reasonably pleased after completing a relatively normal day of racing.
“It was much better,” Alonso said. “The car felt more glued to the ground and easier to drive, to a certain extent, when you have control of the cornering grip.
“A more predictable and lighter car, but there is still a long way to go for us. Obviously, this is only the first step.”
The chassis upgrade comes one round ahead of Honda’s expected delivery of a major engine upgrade at the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break.
Alonso continued: “We have to find more performance both on the chassis but also on the engine. Zandvoort will be a good test for us with the new engine. Step by step, but definitely in the direction.
“It definitely looks better and it’s more or less what we expected. What’s most encouraging is that what we thought the new package would do, the car actually translated into reality on the track.
“That kind of cohesion is what we need for next year’s project as well, so I think there’s a positive atmosphere in the team now.”
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Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll avoids barrier after failure leaves him stranded on track, prompting red flag in P1 at Hungarian Grand Prix
While Alonso’s 19th place on the time sheet in second practice seemed underwhelming as he finished between the two cars from the 2026 newcomer Cadillac, he lost a significantly faster lap due to a track boundary violation.
That, along with traffic and an inopportune red-flag stoppage caused by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto crashing out of the session, gave Alonso hope he can find more pace on Saturday.
“I think it was difficult with the red flag and some of the traffic to maximize the lap,” Alonso said.
“So maybe there’s a bit more to come from our side, but maybe it’s the same for everyone, so let’s see tomorrow.
“[We] concentrated on testing the new parts and trying to understand the set-up direction, which might be very different to what we’ve run at the last few events, so I think there’s more potential to unlock, hopefully tonight and for tomorrow’s qualifying.”
Newey: The immediate goal is respectability
Newey, who arrived at Aston Martin from Red Bull in March 2025 as the most decorated designer in the sport’s history, admitted his short-term goal is the team achieving “respectability”.
Speaking at a press conference between Friday’s two sessions, Newey said: “The first few races have been a complete nightmare.
“Hopefully we can get at least one point and respect now. I think that’s the immediate goal. From there we can try to continue forward.”
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Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey is optimistic that their latest upgrades will increase the cars’ performance
Newey was speaking before Stroll had been ruled out of second practice as a result of the team being unable to repair the Canadian’s car in time for the session.
He did well to avoid the barriers when the left-rear of his car suddenly broke and sent him spinning in the closing stages of the opening session.
Newey admitted that the team was initially unsure of what had caused the problem.
He said at the time: “As you can imagine, everyone is frantically trying to understand exactly what went wrong and what happened as we speak.
“It is only when we have an understanding that we can comment on what we do next.”
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Highlights from Friday’s practice sessions at the Hungarian Grand Prix
Newey revealed that the part that broke on Stroll’s car was not actually a new one, but the problem was complicated by the fact that it was surrounded by new parts.
“The area involved was not actually changed,” Newey added.
“We’re short of spares because the fairing and so on is different, so there are some minor changes in that area. In that sense, it’s very unexpected.”
Sky Sports F1’s Hungarian GP programme
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The first round of the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix saw several drivers collide
Saturday 25 July
9:00: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Hungarian GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
13.10: F2 Sprint*
14.15: Hungarian GP qualifying build-up*
15:00: HUNGARIAN GP QUALIFICATION*
17:00: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook*
Sunday, July 26
7.35: F3 Feature Race
9.05: Porsche Supercup
10.20: F2 Feature Race
12.30: Hungarian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
14.00: THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX*
16:00: Hungarian medical reaction: Checkered flag*
17:00: Ted’s Notebook*
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 heads straight to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix with every session live on Sky Sports F1 from this Friday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime