Fernando Alonso's first words on upgraded Aston Martin after B-spec F1 car debuts

Fernando Alonso has delivered his initial assessment of Aston Martin's 16-part upgrade for the Hungarian Grand Prix. 

Alonso and Lance Stroll were able to come close to the top 10 at times during free practice on Friday. But even with a suspension failure that ruled Stroll out of FP2 and the team steadily sliding back down the timesheets across the two hour-long sessions, Alonso remained positive about the stride forward made by the team.

“It felt good," he said. "I think, in general, we had what we expected, in terms of numbers and correlation, which is obviously very encouraging for the future as well, for next year's car and the future upgrades into this year. 

"So, still a long way to go for us, obviously starting so far behind, but this is the first step, hopefully, of good things coming.”

Alonso's best FP2 time was deleted due to him exceeding track limits, with his fastest legal time putting him just within three seconds of Lewis Hamilton's session-topping effort.

Asked if he now has a car that can at least fight with others in the lower reaches of the order, the Spaniard added: “Yeah, I think so. 

"Obviously, we need to study more the data and see a little bit of the overlays, but I don't think there are any big surprises there or any big deficits on the corners now to the top of the midfield, which is, obviously, the first of our ambitions, to be top of the midfield. And I think on the corners we are matching that, that kind of pace.

“So, we just need to keep up the work. Obviously, there are still some steps to go to the top of the chassis side, and some steps to go to the engine side as well. So, as I said, this is the first of many. But I think there is a positive atmosphere in the team knowing that, you know, we delivered what we expected.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, Alonso elaborated on the improvements of the upgraded package. 

“It was much better, much better," he said. "The car felt more glued to the ground and easier to drive to an extent, where you are in control of the grip in the corners. More predictable and an easier car. But there is still long way to go for us. 

“Obviously, this is only the first step. We need to find more performance, both on the chassis, but also on the engine. Zandvoort will be a good test for us with the new engine. So step-by-step, but definitely in the right direction.”