Fernando Alonso will line up seventh for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, crediting Aston Martin’s latest upgrades as a “small step in the right direction” following a closely contested qualifying session on Saturday.
The changes mark the team’s most significant push to regain momentum after a mixed first half of the season, yet Alonso insists that while progress has been made, the battle in the midfield is as fierce as ever.
The British crowd was eager to see whether Aston Martin’s new floor and revised top bodywork could deliver a step forward. Team principal Andy Cowell explained ahead of the event.
“We have a new floor and top bodywork,” Cowell told the media. “This builds on the Imola update, but whereas Imola focused more on the shape of the top bodywork, this one focuses more on the floor with a small modification to the top bodywork, aimed at improving the quality of airflow around the rear tyres.”
He also noted that this would likely be the team’s last major update for the year. “We’ve completed our final scheduled wind tunnel run on the AMR25 – though that could change because of the speed with which we can now organise a test. There are not, however, any more planned tests,” Cowell said.
Alonso Sees Signs of Progress
After a solid qualifying session, Fernando Alonso was keen to stress that while the upgrades had brought improvement, the gains were relatively modest.
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
“Yeah, upgrades were tested yesterday with slight advantage to the new package, but small,” Alonso told the media, including Total-Motorsport.com, when asked about the Aston Martin upgrades. “So it took time to analyse the data and see the differences. A small step in the right direction.”
Alonso also pointed out that Silverstone saw many teams bring new parts, which meant the overall pecking order remained tightly packed.
“We thought the upgrades that everyone brought here, it seems that you level yourself,” Alonso added. “You don’t make a big step forward. And yeah, in qualifying is what we saw. A Haas in Q3, quite strong in front of us. Even Alpine into Q3. So we still need to work hard every weekend, but happy with today.”
The lead-up to qualifying was not without complications. A red flag at the end of FP3 meant Aston Martin missed valuable running on the soft tyre, leaving some uncertainty over their approach heading into the all-important session.
“To be in Q3 was not that straightforward,” Alonso said. “Especially after FP3, we missed the soft run with the red flag at the end.
“And we went into qualifying a little bit into the unknown in terms of set-up, front flap, etc. with the red tyre, because we didn’t manage to test this morning. So yeah, all in all, I think we executed well in qualifying. And let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”
Rivals and Realities
With grid penalties for both Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, Alonso will move up from ninth to seventh for the start of the British Grand Prix. However, he is under no illusions about the challenges that lie ahead.
“Let’s see, I think Williams are fast. You know, faster than what they’ve shown lately,” Alonso said, when asked who he expects to be a threat in the race.
“So I think they will be a threat. Tsunoda starting P11, I think it’s going to be a threat as well. And yeah, Kimi, I think it’s going to be a long race.”
Despite these threats, Alonso remains quietly encouraged by the team’s long-run pace during practice: “We cannot underestimate the challenges that we will face tomorrow. But yesterday, in the long run, the car felt good. Tyres felt good as well, so no concerns there. And let’s see if we can score points.”
As Aston Martin looks to turn home advantage and fresh upgrades into a strong race result, the British GP could provide the perfect litmus test for their development path – but, as Alonso makes clear, there are no guarantees in this tightly packed midfield.
