Aston Martin was the surprise of Friday practice at the Dutch Grand Prix, yet Fernando Alonso knew that reality would strike in the Formula 1 qualifying session on Saturday.
The Spaniard will start today’s race at Zandvoort in 10th with team-mate Lance Stroll at the back, the Canadian’s crash in Q1 meaning he failed to set a laptime.
This is despite the pair finishing inside the top four in FP1, with Alonso second in FP2, leading to drivers like Max Verstappen and George Russell thinking their fight could be with Aston across the weekend.
But, Alonso claims the strong Friday showing just continued the team’s theme of 2025, as the world champion and Stroll were also inside the top five for FP2 in Hungary and the top 10 in the sole practice outing at Spa-Francorchamps.
When asked by ESPN if he expected more in qualifying at Zandvoort, Alonso said: “No, I didn't expect many difficulties, but well, I know it's normal that we're among the top three or four on Friday.
“There will be other Fridays when we're among the top three or four, but we knew we weren't going to be fighting with the top teams.”
Alonso, therefore, thinks there were many factors behind Aston being towards the top of the Friday leaderboards. The Silverstone outfit is currently sixth in the constructors’ standings with Alonso and Stroll respectively 11th and 12th in the drivers’ championship.
“We were probably running with less fuel than the other cars,” said the 44-year-old. “It usually happens to us. On Fridays, we are at 100%, the others always need a bit of practice to get the optimal set-up, so that everything goes well, and the drivers too.
“Fortunately, I have the experience to quickly get to know the circuits and the car, so in Q1 or FP1 I don't need as much time to be at 100%, and the others improve little by little, they improve, and in the end you finish in the position that the car deserves a little, and today it was P10.
“We made it to Q3, which is usually the goal for the weekend, to be in the top 10 on Saturday and then score points on Sunday. We achieved that on Saturday, so let's see if we can score points tomorrow as well.”
Alonso revealed “our forecast before quali was P8, P7”, so although he ended up a couple of positions behind, it is still an improvement from the start of the year when he was struggling to reach the final session.
He puts this down to the upgrades Aston brought to the Hungarian Grand Prix last time out, which included a “more aggressive design” for its front wing flap.
“I think a lot of things have changed and there are a couple of new components that I think woke up the car a little bit and the aeroplatform,” said Alonso.
“So yeah, 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
