Fernando Alonso has described Aston Martin’s new upgrade package introduced in Hungary as “a first step of good things coming”, with the top of Formula 1’s midfield now a legitimate target.
The Silverstone squad arrived at the Hungaroring with a heavily revised AMR26 featuring 16 updates, marking its most significant development push of the season and a crucial test of Adrian Newey's growing influence within the team's technical direction.
While Aston Martin ultimately remained outside the sharp end of the timesheets – and Lance Stroll's day was interrupted by a suspension failure that sidelined him from FP2 – Alonso came away convinced the numbers matched the team's expectations.
“It felt good," he said. "I think, in general, we had what we expected, in terms of numbers and correlation, which is obviously very encouraging for the future as well, for next year's car and the future upgrades into this year.
"So, still a long way to go for us, obviously starting so far behind, but this is the first step, hopefully, of good things coming.”
While the Spaniard was only P19 in the pecking order at the end of the day, the two-time world champion felt the underlying performance painted a far more optimistic picture than the classification suggested.
Chasing the midfield before aiming higher
Asked whether Aston Martin now has the tools to battle consistently with the midfield pack, Alonso suggested the upgraded AMR26 has significantly reduced one of the team's biggest weaknesses.
“Yeah, I think so,” he said. "Obviously, we need to study more the data and see a little bit of the overlays, but I don't think there are any big surprises there or any big deficits on the corners now to the top of the midfield, which is, obviously, the first of our ambitions, to be top of the midfield.
“And I think on the corners we are matching that, that kind of pace.
“So, we just need to keep up the work. Obviously, there are still some steps to go to the top of the chassis side, and some steps to go to the engine side as well.
“So, as I said, this is the first of many. But I think there is a positive atmosphere in the team knowing that, you know, we delivered what we expected.”
Confidence grows ahead of the next phase
Speaking separately to , Alonso offered an even stronger endorsement of how the revised AMR26 behaved on track, highlighting gains in balance, predictability and driver confidence.
“It was much better, much better," he said. "The car felt more glued to the ground and easier to drive to an extent, where you are in control of the grip in the corners. More predictable and an easier car. But there is still long way to go for us.
“Obviously, this is only the first step. We need 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. So step-by-step, but definitely in the right direction.”
The encouraging feedback offers Aston Martin reason to believe its biggest upgrade of the year has delivered exactly what it promised.
Whether that translates into a sustained climb toward the front of the midfield remains to be seen, but if Alonso's assessment proves accurate, the Hungarian package could be remembered as the moment the team's long-awaited resurgence finally began.
Read also:
Newey: Early days for B-spec Aston but first impression ‘promising’
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