Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin’s impressive performance in the qualifying round for the Hungarian Grand Prix is supposed to “track the features” rather than letting the team unleash more pace from Formula 1 cars.
Both Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll reached the final segment of Saturday’s qualifying before locking the third row of the grid.
Fifth placed the qualifying results for Alonso’s season co-best, with the walk also achieving the best grid slots in the F1 2025 for the sixth.
However, Alonso does not believe it means an eligible outcome for Aston Martin. It means the team has made a breakthrough, stating that the AMR25 is simply a case of working well around the hanger ring.
Asked to explain the improved form of the team in hangering, he told media, including Crash.Net:
“I don’t think we’ve changed the car much since the spa seven days ago. No new parts are available for anyone in this race.
“Only the layout, the circuit features seem to suit our car. Obviously, it’s great to understand this, because if you understand why it works in this sweet spot, you can use it in the next few races.
However, Alonso warns against keeping high expectations of competition on Sunday, emphasizing that the team simply aims for big points in their final race before summer vacation.
“To be honest, (I think the podium is difficult) and honestly, if we can finish in the same position as we start, the fifth and sixth would be nice when it comes to points for the team before summer vacation, and that would be our first target.
“If we can recover anywhere, that’s good, but I think we need to understand that there are some threats from behind. Some highway cars, Max (Verstappen), start from behind, and neither does Lewis (Hamilton).