Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso celebrate season-best result in Zandvoort
26 August 2026Fernando Alonso turned a challenging qualifying position into a points finish at Zandvoort, with Aston Martin’s tyre management and strategic flexibility helping the Spaniard climb from 18th on the grid to ninth.
Starting down in P18, the Aston Martin driver looked unlikely to trouble the points-paying positions around a narrow Zandvoort circuit where overtaking can be particularly difficult.
By the chequered flag, however, Alonso had climbed nine places to take ninth and collect two valuable points for Aston Martin. It was the team’s best result of the season and an encouraging reward after the progress made with the AMR26’s development.
Turning a difficult weekend into opportunity
Aston Martin arrived at Zandvoort with genuine reasons for optimism after introducing a significant package of upgrades at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Budapest updates delivered a noticeable step, giving the team a stronger platform to build on during the second half of the 2026 F1 season.
In Zandvoort, Alonso qualified 18th for Sunday’s race, with Lance Stroll one place behind. The result left both Aston Martins near the back of the field, but the underlying picture was more encouraging, with the team reporting a significant improvement in the car’s chassis and aerodynamic behaviour.
The red flag changed Alonso’s Dutch GP strategy
Rain before the start had left the conditions at Zandvoort tricky, and although the circuit had dried sufficiently, after just one lap, the race was stopped by a red flag.
Following the second standing start, Alonso emerged from the opening phase in P14. From there, the Aston Martin began to demonstrate one of the characteristics that had already proved useful in Budapest – its ability to make its tyres last.
While other drivers committed to pit stops, Alonso continued circulating, gaining track position and laying the foundations for an alternate strategy that demanded plenty of patience.
Alonso eventually completed 34 laps on his Soft tyres and rose all the way to eighth place, before making his sole pit stop and switching to the Hard compound.
No second invitation required
With the Hard tyres fitted, Alonso emerged in P13, and set about completing an optimistic one-stop strategy.
Zandvoort’s combination of narrow track, high-speed corners and limited overtaking opportunities made the Aston Martin a difficult car to pass. Alonso could therefore use the long final stint to his advantage, managing his tyres while holding off those behind.
As other drivers ahead made further stops, Alonso continued to maximise the opportunities in free air – much like race-winner Lando Norris did at the front of the field – and eventually, found himself inside the top ten.
But with Pierre Gasly applying pressure during the closing stages, the job was easier said than done. He managed to hold off the Alpine driver, though, to take Aston Martin’s first points of a challenging 2026 season.
Another step forward for Aston Martin
The team’s upgrade package introduced in Hungary had already shown signs of moving the AMR26 forward, with both drivers reporting a better-balanced car and improved aerodynamic performance.
There are still areas for Aston Martin to improve, particularly around driveability and extracting consistent performance from the power unit, but the Dutch Grand Prix showed that the ingredients are starting to come together.
It would be too early to suggest that Aston Martin has suddenly become a regular points-scoring team. However, the Dutch Grand Prix provided another piece of evidence that the team is beginning to turn the tide on its difficult start to the 2026 season.
The next test comes at Monza from 4-6 September, where the high-speed nature of the Italian circuit will provide a very different challenge for the AMR26 and Honda power unit.
