Hungarian GP: how Fernando Alonso executed his own race strategy, treating every lap like qualifying. Fernando Alonso expertly managed his own one-stop race strategy at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso planned and executed his own race strategy from inside the cockpit of his Aston Martin, helping the team achieve its best result of the 2025 Formula 1 season with a strong fifth-place finish. His teammate Lance Stroll followed closely behind in seventh place. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Aston Martin climbed to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship, adding 16 valuable points to their tally.

Alonso masterfully managed a one-stop race strategy, deliberately controlling his pace after being overtaken by Lando Norris on lap three. The goal was to protect the medium compound tyres and make them last for the remainder of the race. Alonso explained, “The objective was to make a one-stop strategy work. I slowed down by over a second per lap to keep the tyre compound alive.”

Lance Stroll employed a similar approach, posting solid and competitive lap times throughout the race. After pitting on lap 39 for hard tyres, Alonso rejoined the track in fifth place, right behind Max Verstappen. The pressure increased when the reigning world champion made another stop on lap 48.

Team radio exchanges reveal Fernando Alonso’s focus on securing fifth place

During the race, Fernando Alonso’s race engineer Andrew Vizard communicated critical information and strategy suggestions. At one point, Vizard warned, “HPP active. Verstappen could be a threat. Make sure to have good tyres at the end.”

However, Fernando Alonso preferred to conserve both his energy recovery system and tyre life, replying over the radio, “I’d rather go with strategy 11 than HPP… better to save it, right?”

Even in the final 15 laps, the Spanish driver maintained a qualifying-like pace between 1:20 and 1:21 per lap. He held his composure under pressure from Felipe Bortoleto and remained unfazed by Verstappen’s undercut attempt, which was ultimately stalled behind Liam Lawson.

“For me, these are qualifying laps until the end… tell me if I need to do anything else,” Alonso said over the radio. When crossing the finish line, the Asturian celebrated his performance, saying, “Beautiful! Sixteen points, right?” Vizard jokingly responded, “Great driving… good at math too.”