Colapinto: Aston Martin now “a lot quicker” than Alpine in corners

Aston Martin’s Hungary step changes the picture

Franco Colapinto believes Aston Martin has moved ahead of Alpine in the corners after the Silverstone-based team’s long-awaited upgrade package delivered a clear improvement at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

However, the engine was not the only weakness. The Adrian Newey-designed AMR26 showed severe shortcomings in Monaco, where Aston Martin qualified 21st and 22nd. Despite scoring a point in the race, the result underlined the scale of the deficit.

The improvement was particularly visible through the corners. As the Argentine spent much of the race following the Aston Martins, he identified a contrasting performance profile between the two cars.

“They look really strong in the corners,” Colapinto said. “On the straights they are really slow and they are losing a lot of lap time, but in the corners they are definitely a lot quicker than us.”

Honda upgrade could complete the gain

Aston Martin’s next opportunity comes at Zandvoort, where Honda is expected to introduce a substantial power-unit upgrade. The change is anticipated to improve the team’s top speed, directly addressing the weakness Colapinto highlighted on the straights.

The development arrives as Aston Martin attempts to build on the progress made in Hungary. Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin’s upgrade restored its qualifying fight, reinforcing the significance of the team’s latest step.

Colapinto, meanwhile, left Hungary dissatisfied with his own performance. He said the car began to lose pace after the opening laps and never recovered, even after fitting new tyres.

“The kind of grip I had, it was very, very poor,” he said, adding that Alpine must determine whether damage or another issue caused the unusual balance. Aston Martin’s cornering advantage is now clear; Zandvoort will show whether Honda can help remove the remaining straight-line deficit.