Fernando Alonso believes that the significant developments brought by Aston Martin have met expectations, while asserting that the potential of the new AMR26 is still largely untapped.
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Fernando Alonso left the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying with a smile. For the first time this season, the Aston Martin driver managed to get past Q1 thanks to a deeply revised AMR26.
Eliminated in Q2, the Spaniard nevertheless came very close to entering the top 10, failing by just 83 thousandths of Esteban Ocon.
Beyond the raw result, it is above all the behavior of the single-seater that satisfies the double world champion.
“When you bring an almost entirely new car, you primarily hope that the correlation between simulations and the track is good and that the car delivers the expected performance.”
“It was important to avoid a bad surprise”
Alonso explains that the main objective of this first weekend was to confirm that the developments were working as planned.
The Aston Martin introduced in Hungary is a true B version of the AMR26. Only the front suspensions, engine, and gearbox have been retained compared to the single-seater used in Belgium.
“Even if the car corresponds to what we expected, it was important to verify it and especially to avoid a bad surprise.”
This first validation represents an important step before the next developments planned after the summer break, as well as the arrival of a new Honda power unit in Zandvoort.
A potential still far from being exploited
Despite these advances, Alonso believes that Aston Martin has not yet found the ideal settings.
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The Spanish driver assures that the team continues to learn to understand this new single-seater.
“We do not yet fully master the potential of this car in qualifying. We have learned more about its balance and, if we had another session, we would still modify the settings.”
He considers this learning phase normal given the extent of the changes.
“We are only at the beginning. There is still a lot of potential to exploit, which is logical with such a deeply modified package.”
An easier car to drive
Alonso also highlights a significant evolution in the behavior of the AMR26.
According to him, the new single-seater generates more aerodynamic downforce and offers more consistent grip in corners.
“The car produces more downforce and grip in corners. It is also more consistent and forgiving to drive, whether at corner entry, mid-corner, or exit.”
The contrast with the previous version is, in his eyes, particularly marked.
“The old car was much more delicate to drive.”
These initial feedbacks confirm the progress seen by Aston Martin, which now hopes to continue its rise in power thanks to the next developments planned during the second half of the season.
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