Fernando Alonso brought Aston Martin back into the points at the Dutch Grand Prix with a ninth-place finish at Zandvoort, overcoming a malfunctioning radio and making an unexpected one-stop strategy work. The Spaniard even managed a 28-lap opening stint on Soft tyres before joking that he had handled the difficult circumstances because he is “a very good driver”.
After qualifying, few would have backed Aston Martin to leave Zandvoort with points. Fernando Alonso nevertheless achieved exactly that, adding another top-10 result after the point he had previously scored in Monaco.
Fernando Alonso turns Dutch GP into a one-stop race
The final ninth place highlighted several encouraging aspects of Aston Martin’s performance. Fernando Alonso has long been regarded as a master of tyre management, and he demonstrated that strength again by completing an impressive 28 laps on the Soft compound during his opening stint, when the car was carrying its heaviest fuel load.
His second stint also underlined the progress of the AMR26, particularly in terms of race pace. Aston Martin also adapted effectively as the race developed. The original plan called for two pit stops, but Fernando Alonso stopped only once because he was able to manage the Soft tyres and extend their life for as long as possible. The alternative approach also reflected the importance of Zandvoort tyre strategy during the Dutch Grand Prix.
“Doing a one-stop strategy was not the plan,” Fernando Alonso admitted after the Dutch Grand Prix. “I think the plan was to make two pit stops and follow a more conventional strategy. But sometimes we have to move away from what you would normally want to do.”
Aston Martin AMR26 shows progress in the corners
The AMR26 confirmed what could already be seen from Fernando Alonso’s onboard footage: the car has gained significant speed through the corners. That improvement has come through chassis optimisation following the latest two upgrade packages introduced at Silverstone.
The main problem, however, remains Honda engine power despite the ADUO concessions granted during the summer. Fernando Alonso has already highlighted Honda engine-related issues at Zandvoort, while the Dutch GP again exposed Aston Martin’s difficulties when trying to race cars with stronger straight-line performance.
“When we are in traffic, we cannot exploit our potential. We are faster in the corners than the drivers ahead of us, but we are slower on the straights, so we get stuck behind them. Therefore, as soon as we have clear track in front of us, we try to take advantage of it, even if it does not represent the optimal performance or strategy. And that is what we did today.”
Fernando Alonso believes ninth place offered a realistic picture of where Aston Martin currently stands.
“I think the ninth place we achieved here is a result that really reflects our performance. In Monaco we scored one point, but with nine cars retiring. Today we scored two points with Verstappen retiring. So I think we deserved them. We probably could have done a little better in Hungary.”
Max Verstappen’s retirement at Zandvoort helped open the door to Aston Martin’s two points, but Fernando Alonso stressed that the AMR26’s competitiveness will continue to depend heavily on circuit characteristics.
“Then whether we score points will depend from track to track, depending on how many straights there are. So I don’t expect us to be competitive at Monza. But maybe at some other circuits we will have opportunities to score points.”
Fernando Alonso manages radio failure during Dutch GP
Making the race even more complicated was the poor operation of Fernando Alonso’s radio. The Aston Martin driver still managed the blue flags and defended against rivals attacking him, before ending his explanation with a typically confident remark about how he had coped with the situation.
“I had a lot of problems with the radio. I couldn’t hear the team. Apparently, they couldn’t hear me either. The strategy was clear, but some of the blue flags, the overtaking situations where we had to defend, those kinds of things were frustrating.”
Asked how he had managed the strategy under those circumstances, Fernando Alonso replied: “It was difficult. I’m a very good driver.”
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