The Aston Martin team exhibited surprising pace during Friday’s practice sessions at the Dutch Grand Prix. However, Fernando Alonso anticipated a shift in performance during Saturday’s Formula 1 qualifying round.
Alonso is slated to commence the race at Zandvoort from the 10th spot on the grid, while his teammate, Lance Stroll, will start from the rear. This is a consequence of Stroll’s Q1 crash, which prevented him from registering a lap time.
This outcome is noteworthy considering that the duo secured positions within the top four during FP1, with Alonso also clinching second place in FP2. This led competitors like Max Verstappen and George Russell to speculate that Aston Martin might pose a challenge throughout the weekend.
Nevertheless, Alonso asserts that the team’s strong performance on Friday merely echoed a pattern seen earlier in 2025. He recalls that both he and Stroll also achieved top-five positions in FP2 in Hungary and secured spots within the top 10 during the single practice session at Spa-Francorchamps.
When queried by ESPN about whether he had anticipated a more favorable outcome in qualifying at Zandvoort, Alonso responded: “No, I didn’t foresee significant difficulties, but I recognize that it’s common for us to be among the top three or four on Fridays.
“There will be other Fridays when we’re among the top three or four, but we were aware that we wouldn’t be contending with the leading teams.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
Consequently, Alonso suggests that a multitude of factors contributed to Aston Martin’s presence near the top of the leaderboards during Friday’s sessions. The Silverstone-based team currently occupies the sixth position in the constructors’ standings, with Alonso and Stroll ranked 11th and 12th, respectively, in the drivers’ championship.
“We were likely operating with a lighter fuel load compared to the other teams,” stated the 44-year-old. “This often happens to us. On Fridays, we operate at 100%, while others require additional practice to attain the optimal setup, ensuring that everything aligns correctly, including the drivers.
“Fortunately, my experience allows me to quickly adapt to the circuits and the car. Consequently, in Q1 or FP1, I don’t require as much time to reach 100%, whereas others gradually improve. Ultimately, you end up in a position that aligns with the car’s capabilities, and today, that was P10.
“We successfully reached Q3, which is typically our objective for the weekend: to secure a spot in the top 10 on Saturday and then accumulate points on Sunday. We achieved that on Saturday, so we’ll see if we can also score points tomorrow.”
Alonso disclosed that “our pre-qualifying forecast was P8, P7.” Therefore, despite finishing a couple of positions lower than anticipated, it still signifies progress from the beginning of the year, when he faced challenges in reaching the final session.
He attributes this improvement to the upgrades that Aston Martin introduced at the Hungarian Grand Prix during their previous outing, which encompassed a “more aggressive design” for its front wing flap.
“I believe that numerous elements have evolved, and there are a few new components that have seemingly revitalized the car and its aerodynamic platform,” Alonso explained.
“So yes, I think we are in a much better place now since Budapest than in the past. But, it’s still a long way off. As we saw today, we are just hardly fighting for Q3, so it’s still a long way to go.”
Additional reporting by Ronald Vording and Juanjo Saez
