Alonso approves the improvement of Aston Martin: “It is an easier car to drive”

Fernando Alonso finished the first day of free practice of the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP with optimism, satisfied to see that his debut behind the wheel of the new Aston Martin AMR26 ‘B’ was positive. The man from Oviedo was 19th, but after seeing his lap canceled in which he showed more potential. It was clear, and confirmed by Alonso, that they have now gone from occupying the red lantern of the championship at this start, to being able to fight against other cars.

From what was seen this Friday, it seems that the step forward that Aston Martin has taken could allow them to battle at the Hungaroring against Williams and ahead of Cadillac. And the green team insists that it is “a first step of many more” that will come in the future, starting with this year. They are the bases of the 2027 project. At the next race in Zandvoort the second part of this package will arrive and something crucial: a more powerful Honda engine.

In that sense, Fernando Alonso put an end to the ghosts that seemed to reappear this Friday, when he once again felt vibrations in his body from the engine. But according to Alonso, these finally improved in Free Practice 2 and should not be a problem.

“Yes, it’s gone well. I think, overall, we’ve gotten what we expected in terms of numbers and correlation, which is obviously very encouraging going forward, both for next year’s car and for future improvements this season. So yes, we still have a long way to go, especially having started so far back, but this is the first step in a series of positive steps that we hope will come,” he said.

“We have noticed some vibrations on the main straight, especially in FP1. I think the boys have more or less solved it for FP2, so yes, there is no cause for concern for tomorrow,” he added, reassuring his followers about this issue that worried them so much at the beginning of the course. Although that must be confirmed this Saturday.

“I think we can fight with other cars. Obviously, we have to study the data more and make comparisons, but I don’t think there will be any big surprises or a major deficit in the corners with respect to the top of the middle zone, which is, obviously, our first ambition: to be in the top of the middle zone. And I think that in the corners we are at that pace, so we just have to keep working. Obviously, we still have some steps to take in terms of the chassis and also in terms of the engine,” he argued.

“So, as I said, this is the first step of many, but I think there is a positive atmosphere in the team, knowing that we are fulfilling what we expected,” argued Fernando, who also felt satisfied by the sensations he has in a car that is much easier to drive than its predecessor.

“It seems to be tighter and easier to drive by controlling its grip in curves. It is more predictable,” he confirmed. That is to say, the car has better mechanical grip, better balance and allows you to push more. “There will be more potential to take advantage of in the classification,” he concluded.