Fernando Alonso calls on Aston Martin to close the gap on the leaders

Fernando Alonso wanted to remind that Aston Martin still needed to reduce the gap with the leading teams, despite an encouraging return to the points at the Spanish and Canadian Grand Prix. The Spanish driver had come up empty in the first eight races of the 2025 season.

A Promising Race

In Montreal, Fernando Alonso qualified brilliantly in sixth position before finishing the race in seventh place, beaten only by Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, and leading the chasing pack. This result marks a significant turning point in his season, with luck finally seeming to turn in his favor.

After experiencing a series of reliability issues, the Canadian weekend was much smoother for the Spaniard. The team perfectly managed tire strategies throughout the sessions, ensuring the right compounds at the right time, especially for the qualifications.

This allowed him to aim for points, and even though he was slowed down by traffic after his first stop, Fernando Alonso still seemed capable of scoring in Montreal.

« Pretty happy, I think the car was good all weekend, » said Fernando Alonso. « In reality, the race was probably the weakest moment of our weekend. »

« Thanks to the sixth place in qualifying, we were able to maintain a good pace at the start of the race and created a small gap, which served as a safety net for the stops. Good weekend, good execution, and good points for the team. »

Technical advancements are bearing fruit.

Since the introduction of technical developments at the start of the European tour, Aston Martin seems to have reached a new level. Before that, Fernando Alonso had never reached Q3 in qualifying, with a best result of 12th position. Since then, he has reached Q3 in every race.

But the double world champion remains measured in his enthusiasm. Compared to his performances two years ago, when he was fighting for podiums and even victory, he believes Aston Martin still has a lot to do.

« It gives us a little more confidence to attack, but there are still weaknesses in the car since the beginning of the season that we haven’t completely resolved. We see it especially in the race pace on Sunday », he explains.

« There is still a lot of work to do. Today, we led the peloton, but the top teams are still very far away. We need to reduce this gap. »

Lance Stroll struggles at home

On his side, Lance Stroll had a difficult weekend at home. Eliminated in Q1, he then received a 10-second penalty during the race for pushing Pierre Gasly off track, before finishing in a modest 17th place.

« It was a long and difficult day, I’m not satisfied with my weekend, » said the Canadian. « Starting 17th was already complicated, but I also didn’t have the pace to make a comeback. »

The two drivers are having contrasting seasons: Lance Stroll scored points in the first two races before going through a rough patch, while Fernando Alonso has only just scored in the last two Grand Prix.

Despite everything, the points collected by Fernando Alonso in Canada allow Aston Martin to stay ahead of a resurgent Sauber team in the Constructors’ Championship standings.

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