A weekend to forget for both the Spanish driver and the Aston Martin team, who leave the Belgian Grand Prix without scoring any points
The race weekend at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit had the potential to mark a turning point for the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team, as they arrived in Belgium with a significant upgrade package for their AMR25 car. However, contrary to expectations, the British outfit departed the historic Ardennes track empty-handed, having failed to score any points either in the main Grand Prix or in the preceding Sprint Race session.
The disappointing outcome was highlighted most notably by two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso. The Spanish driver was among a small group—including Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli—who opted to break parc fermé regulations prior to the start in order to modify the setup of their cars. The goal was to improve performance in the wet conditions that had been forecast for the race. However, this decision backfired for Fernando Alonso, as the weather remained mostly dry and sunny during the Grand Prix.
Due to the setup change, Fernando Alonso was forced to start the race from the pit lane. Despite making up a few places over the course of the race, he ultimately finished in a distant 17th position, far from the points-scoring zone. Reflecting on the result, Alonso admitted: “Unfortunately, things did not go the way we wanted this weekend in Belgium. We committed to a wet-weather setup, but the race ended up being held in predominantly dry and sunny conditions. We managed to gain a few positions and finish 17th, but our race pace was still far from competitive. We brought a new upgrade package to the circuit, but unfortunately, it didn’t deliver the performance improvements we were hoping for. Now we need to go back and analyze the data to try and find some gains ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.”
The team’s other driver, Canadian racer Lance Stroll, also failed to bring any consolation to Aston Martin’s weekend. Although he managed to finish ahead of his teammate, he only crossed the line in 14th place. As a result, Aston Martin is now third from last in the Constructors’ Championship standings, trailing Racing Bulls by five points and sitting just a single point ahead of the Haas F1 Team.
Lance Stroll summed up the team’s difficulties by stating: “It was a tough weekend for us. We did everything we could and probably got the most out of the car today. We made all the right strategic decisions during the race, but in the end, our goal is always to score points. I’m now looking forward to Budapest. It’s a very different circuit, and hopefully, there will be more opportunities for us to be competitive there.”
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