Fernando Alonso secured a valuable ninth place for Aston Martin at the Dutch Grand Prix, earning what he considered his first genuinely deserved points of the season and prompting a glowing radio exchange with Adrian Newey. After the chequered flag at Zandvoort, Alonso described the car as “lovely to drive”, while Newey praised the two-time world champion for a “fantastic race”.
The result carried particular significance after Aston Martin’s recent progress with both its chassis and Honda power unit. Unlike the point Alonso inherited in Monaco through Sergio Perez’s penalty, ninth place at Zandvoort was earned entirely through his own performance, strategy and the improved competitiveness of the car.
Fernando Alonso earns ‘real’ Aston Martin points at Zandvoort
“I don’t like scoring points like that,” Fernando Alonso had said after the Monaco Grand Prix, where he collected a point only because Sergio Perez was penalised for being incorrectly positioned on the starting grid.
At Zandvoort, however, there was no such qualification attached to the result. Fernando Alonso produced an excellent race to finish inside the top 10 on merit, making full use of Aston Martin’s recent improvement and the progress made with the Honda power unit.
The Spaniard completed one fewer pit stop than many of his rivals and converted that strategy into ninth place, a result that was particularly valuable for team morale after a challenging start to the season.
Adrian Newey praises Alonso after the Dutch GP
Adrian Newey made that significance clear over the radio immediately after the chequered flag, highlighting what the performance meant for everyone working at Aston Martin’s Silverstone base.
“Congratulations Fernando, that was a fantastic race. It’s a huge confidence boost for everyone at Silverstone. Thank you,” Adrian Newey told Fernando Alonso.
The message reflected the growing optimism around Aston Martin after the technical changes introduced in recent races. While the team still has work to do to become consistently competitive near the front, Zandvoort offered another indication that its development direction is beginning to produce tangible results.
Alonso: ‘Lovely car to drive’
Fernando Alonso’s reply was equally positive, with the Spaniard making clear how much better the Aston Martin now feels from behind the wheel.
“Thank you guys, lovely car to drive, and in the future we’ll be even better,” Fernando Alonso replied.
For a driver who has often been demanding about the performance and behaviour of his machinery, the comment was a notable endorsement of Aston Martin’s recent progress. The combination of Newey-led chassis development and improvements from Honda has given Alonso a car that is not only more competitive but also increasingly enjoyable to drive.
Ninth place may not appear spectacular in isolation, but for Aston Martin it represented something more important: a result earned through genuine race pace, efficient strategy and an improving technical package. The warm radio exchange between Fernando Alonso and Adrian Newey after the finish offered perhaps the clearest indication yet of the renewed confidence developing inside the team.
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