Aston Martin: the Adrian Newey effect is tangible
Friday at Zandvoort delivered one of the most unexpected images of this weekend’s start: Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin climbed to the top of the timesheets in the second practice session, slotting between the two McLarens. The Spanish driver ended the session with the second-fastest lap in 1’10.959, just 0.087 seconds behind Lando Norris and two hundredths ahead of Oscar Piastri.
The weather added an element of uncertainty. Despite forecasts indicating a high chance of rain, the bad weather avoided the Dutch circuit, allowing drivers to work entirely in dry conditions. Hard and Medium tires were used the most, although there were also attempts with Softs, used from the start by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
As the session progressed, the threat of rain prompted several teams to bring forward qualifying simulations. Lap times gradually improved until a red flag interrupted activities: Lance Stroll went wide at the banked Turn 3, hitting the wall and ending his session prematurely. Shortly before the interruption, Oliver Bearman had completed a competitive lap, clocking 1’11.113.
Carlos Sainz was one of the drivers most affected by the stoppage. After the session resumed, a Virtual Safety Car was deployed to remove Isack Hadjar’s VCARB, which had stopped on track due to a technical failure just after entering the circuit.
Dutch GP: practice results
The progress of Aston Martin was evident. Even in FP1, Alonso had demonstrated that he could break the one-minute-ten barrier, showing remarkable feeling with the AMR26. In FP2, he was the only driver, alongside Norris, to push for reference lap times, confirming the excellent work carried out by the Silverstone team.
Behind them, George Russell finished three-tenths off the leader, while Max Verstappen lagged further behind, away from the top positions in front of his home crowd. Lewis Hamilton was eight-tenths off, still managing to finish ahead of Charles Leclerc. Hamilton also experienced a spin, adding further uncertainty to a Friday already complicated for Ferrari, which found itself mid-pack between the two Red Bulls and never truly competing with the leaders.
The second red flag of the day came after Alexander Albon went off track and got stuck in the gravel. This incident once again ruined Carlos Sainz’s attempt, despite an excellent first sector. It was a day of missed opportunities for the Spanish driver.
In the midfield, Franco Colapinto stood out, setting the ninth-fastest time on Softs, one of the best performances among the central group. The Argentine finished just one-tenth behind Leclerc and narrowly ahead of Nico Hülkenberg, who ended tenth with Haas.
Aston Martin confirms progress
The technical work behind Aston Martin’s progress deserves special mention. Adrian Newey’s influence is clearly visible in the optimization of the AMR26 setup: the former Red Bull genius, although already focused on developing the 2026 car, continues to provide valuable guidance on the current car. The improvements seen over recent weeks confirm this and build confidence for the next season, when new regulations will come into effect and the team will be able to count on the Honda power unit.
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