Alonso Aims for Flawless Hungary Qualifying

Alonso sets sights on perfect qualifying in Hungary as Aston Martin eyes strong performances.

Fernando Alonso concluded the first day of the Hungarian GP trials among the top 10. The Aston Martin F1 driver exhibited minimal enthusiasm during the first practice session in his significantly upgraded car, yet he reflects positively on this Friday at the Hungaroring.

“It’s always great to be back here. This is a unique circuit; there’s no time to breathe, the corners just keep coming. And it’s very hot—these are extreme and challenging conditions for the machinery, for the people in the stands, and for you, the media,” Alonso remarked.

“Overall, it was a good day. We need to learn more about the car, we have a lot to analyse tonight, but on the whole, it was a positive Friday. It was challenging to keep the tyres under control; degradation is very high and significant with these temperatures and this circuit.”

The Spaniard hopes to reach Q3 but acknowledges the difficulty: “It will be tight, one or two tenths will separate ten cars, and we want to be in the upper part of those ten cars. We need to have a perfect Saturday because it’s hard to overtake in the race, so qualifying well is crucial.”

Meanwhile, Lance Stroll finished 17th, despite setting a strong time in the first practice session. Uncertain if the updates he applied in the second practice session were to blame, he noted, “We have a lot to study and analyse to see if everything was working. The car felt different this afternoon; we’ll need to look into that.”