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Fernando Alonso produced Aston Martin’s standout result of the season at Zandvoort, climbing nine places to finish ninth in the Dutch Grand Prix. The recovery came after both Aston Martin cars were eliminated in Q1 on Saturday, despite Honda’s engine upgrade, leaving the team’s prospects looking bleak before the race even began.
The points finish is only Aston Martin’s second of the season. The first came in Monaco, where the team inherited 10th place following a penalty for Sergio Perez. Against that backdrop, Alonso’s drive represented a particularly important result for a team still searching for consistent performance.
The turnaround also followed a difficult start to the weekend. Alonso had been set to start last at Zandvoort after Aston Martin’s qualifying problems, as detailed in our report on his qualifying struggles. Yet the race showed a more competitive side of the AMR26, allowing the two-time champion to make sustained progress through the field.
Adrian Newey, who was appointed team principal at the end of last year, has attended only a handful of races since joining Aston Martin. He was present on the pit wall at Zandvoort, however, and chose to congratulate Alonso directly after the chequered flag.
“Well done, Fernando,” Newey said over the team radio. “That was a great drive. Very disciplined, and a great boost for everybody involved at Silverstone. Thank you.”
Alonso responded by praising the car and the team behind it, suggesting that Aston Martin’s recent development work is beginning to deliver a more positive driving experience.
“Yeah, absolutely,” he replied. “Thanks to you guys, everyone at Silverstone. Amazing. Lovely car to drive, and more to come I know. Thank you.”
His comments underline the progress made since Aston Martin introduced a new chassis at the Hungaroring shortly before the summer break. The result at Zandvoort now gives that progress a meaningful competitive reference.
Aston Martin remain second from bottom in the standings, but ninth place strengthens hopes of closing the gap to Williams on 11 points, Audi on 16 and Haas on 21 during the second half of the season.
Lance Stroll’s retirement, caused by a handling issue that may have involved damage, prevented a stronger team result. Zandvoort and the Hungaroring may also have disguised Aston Martin’s power deficit. The next race at Monza will therefore be a much clearer test, placing Honda’s upgrade under pressure to unlock further performance.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.