'It cannot be the last step' - Fernando Alonso demands Aston Martin progress beyond Hungary upgrade
Aston Martin will bring it's long-awaited Formula 1 upgrade to the Hungarian Grand Prix, but Fernando Alonso is already demanding more from the team
Fernando Alonso has urged Aston Martin to continue pushing with upgrades even after the long-awaited Hungarian Grand Prix Formula 1 package.
Aston Martin has dropped well off the tail of the pack in recent weeks, with the gap growing to around a second on single-lap pace in qualifying.
While initial problems with vibrations from the power unit appear to have been resolved, retirements remain common for the team, despite Alonso's somewhat fortuitous point in Monaco lifting the team off the foot of the constructors' table.
While the upcoming upgrade is hoped to push Aston Martin into the midfield and points contention, Alonso has his eyes set on much higher achievements.
“I think, for the fans, they want us to win races and to fight for the championship," he told media, including Crash.net.
"This year, whatever the upgrade is and whatever we can improve, it will never be enough. We will always miss an extra package. So, it has to be clear to the fans that we are working day and night to improve the car.
“We will get better. We will win races. Not this year, so this is only the first step in the plan; it cannot be the last one.
“So for me, it's important to feel in Hungary that we understand what the weaknesses of the car are, and we are tackling them, especially on the aero package that is the first one that is coming.
“We're struggling with very specific things this year behind the wheel, and if those are improved in Hungary and we can drive the car to the maximum, then I think there is a very clear path and a good momentum that we can take for next year. So that, for me, is the most important thing.”
Aston Martin is the only team yet to bring aerodynamic upgrades to the track this term, with the team making the decision to focus on a single major upgrade - this decision made in part with an eye on the cost cap regulations.
Explaining the initial decision to follow this path, Alonso added: "We didn't know if it would be race seven or race 12 or at the end of the year, but we knew that ‘Okay, this is our starting place and position. This is not good enough. We are lacking downforce, power, gearbox, experience, all these kinds of things. So, we need to make a study, we need to regroup, and we need to make a plan’."
Sam joined Crash.net in February 2026 with extensive experience in motorsport media, having covered numerous championships around the world.
