Aston Martin made a strong comeback at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing with Fernando Alonso in fifth place and Lance Stroll in seventh. The Silverstone-based team seemed to bounce back dramatically after a difficult weekend in Belgium, and although Fernando Alonso expressed uncertainty about what exactly worked, the reality is that the newly introduced front wing and updated floor are proving to be effective. The next race at Zandvoort will serve as a critical test to confirm whether this apparent performance turnaround is sustainable.
The turnaround was significant—almost like redirecting a boat from heading south to steering it firmly north. At Spa-Francorchamps, Aston Martin had been left struggling at the back of the field with 15th and 17th place finishes. Yet just a few days later at the Hungaroring, they managed to place both cars solidly inside the top ten.
Such a dramatic reversal of form is rarely seen in the world of Formula 1, but Aston Martin has pulled off the feat at a time when many in the paddock believed the team would soon abandon its current AMR25 car development in order to focus its resources on the all-new 2026 project.
Fernando Alonso, who has often been the most vocal about the team’s lack of competitiveness, was the standout performer for Aston Martin in Budapest, securing an excellent fifth-place finish after a weekend where the AMR25 was fast right from the first free practice session.
Fernando Alonso admitted he had been worried after the performance at Spa, fearing the team might remain uncompetitive in the second half of the season. “It was a big change in just one week, a huge turnaround after Spa,” he said. “I won’t lie, I was concerned. I was worried about the rest of the season. The motivation across the team was low. But I think these seven days have changed everything by 180 degrees. Now we’re looking forward to the remaining ten races, but at the same time, we need to understand why we were suddenly competitive.”
Fernando Alonso confessed that he does not yet fully understand why the AMR25 performed so strongly in Hungary. However, Aston Martin did introduce a new front wing for the weekend that appears to have delivered solid gains—especially when used in conjunction with the upgraded floor that debuted previously at Silverstone.
“It was a surprise, definitely a surprise—but a good one,” Fernando Alonso explained. “The positive thing is that we were quick and competitive. The worrying part is that we don’t know why. In some ways, we really need this upcoming week at the factory to analyze in detail the differences between Spa and Hungary—the differences in the car, in the setup, and in the aerodynamic components we used.”
The Spanish driver also highlighted that the new front wing was a major change, saying, “Obviously, the main focus for us this weekend was the new front wing. If this front wing is truly delivering such a performance boost, that is great news. But right now, we need to fully understand how and why.”
It was not just the front wing that made a difference. The revised floor—originally introduced at the British Grand Prix—also played a key role in improving the car’s overall performance in Hungary.
Speaking about the updated floor, Fernando Alonso continued, “We had a first indication at Silverstone, and now we’ve had confirmation. As I said yesterday after qualifying, the good thing is that everything we have brought to the car is delivering exactly what we expected based on the wind tunnel data. The correlation is excellent, so whatever we choose to fit on the car during a weekend, we know what kind of performance we’ll get from it.”
The AMR25 continues to show strength in low-speed corners, which was a key factor at the Hungaroring. However, another race will be needed to verify whether this is a real trend or simply a one-off result. The upcoming Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, scheduled for the end of the month, is expected to be a decisive test.
“I think the real test will come at Zandvoort,” said Fernando Alonso. “That circuit also requires maximum downforce. Over the past few years, we’ve had good results there, so hopefully we can bring both cars into the points again this time.”
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