Fernando Alonso claimed he exceeded Aston Martin’s expectations with an eighth place in Formula 1‘s Singapore Grand Prix which was “better than our best dreams”.
Alonso built on a promising drive to sixth place in Azerbaijan with another standout showing last weekend as he ensured that Aston Martin headed the midfield again.
The Spaniard, a two-time F1 race victor at the Marina Bay Circuit, was on inspired form as he qualified seventh, almost a second quicker than team-mate Lance Stroll.
Alonso relinquished spots to the Ferrari drivers in the race, but quick thinking on the Aston Martin pit wall saw him undercut Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas to claim seventh.
However, Alonso has conceded that wrestling the AMR24 into the points places around the streets required him to use all his expertise as he endured balance issues.
Asked whether that was the maximum, Alonso told media including Motorsport Week: “Yeah absolutely. Behind the top four teams, just in front of Checo [Sergio Perez].
“So, normally it’s ninth and 10th available. Today finishing eighth is better than our best dreams.
“So yeah, again, good points, but we are behind and not great pace a difficult car to drive the whole weekend.
“We are just lucky we got points, but it was possible to be P15 and have the same feeling.”
Alonso reveals pending Aston Martin upgrades
Asked whether there was more he could have done, Alonso implied that Stroll, who languished down in 14th place, represented Aston Martin’s true pace in Singapore.
“I think we should be 15th or 16th,” he addressed. “We are eighth, two seconds behind the Ferrari, so I don’t know if I can do more. I can win the race, but not today!”
READ MORE: Alonso: Newey’s impact on Aston Martin F1 won’t be felt until 2026
Alonso has admitted the unique circuit characteristics at the past two rounds aided Aston Martin, which plans to bring updates once the season resumes next month.
“I think the last street tracks here and Baku did maybe give an opportunity, but I think now we need to raise the level,” he acknowledged.
“We have some new parts coming in the next few races. Hopefully they help to come back to a more strong performance.”
With a reset to the regulations coming in 2026, Alonso believes that parts the Silverstone-based squad adopts this term will have a direct impact on next season’s car.
“The cars will not, I think, change too much from last part of this year to next year,” he assessed.
“I don’t see any revolution on any of the teams, so we need to make sure that we find the direction.”
Discussion about this post