Aston Martin investigating mysterious Fernando Alonso car shutdown at Silverstone. Aston Martin mystery at Silverstone as Alonso's car suddenly restarts on its own.

During the Thursday of last weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Aston Martin Team Principal and renowned aerodynamicist Adrian Newey openly admitted the issues that emerged within Lawrence Stroll’s team at the start of the season, explaining the factors that triggered the British outfit’s difficult campaign.

It has been a crisis with no real end in sight. Since the opening round of the season in Australia, Aston Martin has struggled in virtually every area, from the disappointing Honda power unit to the underperforming chassis designed by the English engineering legend alongside Enrico Cardile, not to mention the team’s overall organization.

The only positive moment, if it can be described as such, came in the chaotic and highly unusual Monaco Grand Prix, where Fernando Alonso managed to score the team’s only championship point of the season.

Another mystery for Fernando Alonso

Apart from that brief highlight in the Principality, however, the Spanish driver has once again found himself battling near the back of the grid. The same was true at Silverstone, where Alonso finished 18th, one lap behind race winner Charles Leclerc.

It was a race that, judging by what happened before the start, almost seemed as though it should never have begun for Alonso. His Aston Martin appeared to suffer a major issue even before the lights went out.

“The car shut down during the formation lap, and I managed to restart it, but we need to investigate what happened. During the race we made two pit stops and tried to learn as much as possible for the development of this car. We’re working well together, and hopefully we’ll start to see improvements during the second half of the season.”

Version B expected in Hungary

The team’s development programme is beginning to deliver gradual progress, with further improvements expected in the coming races. According to Honda Chief Engineer Shintaro Orihara, updates to the power unit are planned for the Dutch Grand Prix.

Before that, however, Aston Martin is expected to introduce a much more significant upgrade package at the Hungarian Grand Prix, effectively bringing what has been described as a “Version B” of the current car.

Alonso is naturally the first to hope that these developments will finally allow Aston Martin to move forward, a sentiment also shared by teammate Lance Stroll.

“We have the data we need, and we know where we have to improve, so at the moment it’s about being patient and waiting for the upgrades to arrive. During the race we struggled with a lot of understeer, and the car was unpredictable. I’m doing everything I can, and I hope things improve.”