Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin are excited to tackle the second half of the World Championship. For them, it is a test and confirmation of the great work the team is doing with its sights set on 2026, and the good results at the end of this season are proof that the Silverstone team means business.
Goodbye to fighting for the midfield
There was a lot of excitement at Silverstone, but things did not go as expected. Despite this, Aston Martin finished the race with both cars in the points for the first time this season. The rain prevented many conclusions from being drawn, but the truth is that Fernando Alonso flew in the final stages of the race, the only time it was possible to drive in dry conditions, with times faster than Hamilton and Verstappen.
In addition to the rain, the first race with new updates does not usually show the maximum potential, which is logical, as the teams do not have enough time to carry out the necessary tests to find the best configuration for the car, and even so, there was improvement. Something similar happened at Imola, where the car improved somewhat, but the extent of the improvements did not become clear until two races later in Barcelona—the race in between was Monaco, where it is also difficult to draw many conclusions given the uniqueness of the Monte Carlo street circuit. It is expected that more of the same will happen now, and that much more can be got out of the AMR25 in the next race. This is especially true considering that for Spa, the next race at the end of July, Aston Martin will have a new update for the AMR25.
Goodbye to being sixth
With these updates, Aston Martin is not only looking to consolidate its position as the best team in the midfield, in fifth place. It is aiming to be able to fight with Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari. They know that matching their performance will be difficult, but they hope that in some races they can fight with them on equal terms. The season has shown that these three teams are very inconsistent, with one fighting for pole position and another fighting to finish in the top ten. Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso believe they will have a chance to fight in many races between now and the end of the championship, and they see it as possible to get on the podium.
What they see as unlikely is catching up with McLaren. They are the mirror in which they see themselves, as they aspire to do what McLaren began to do at the end of 2023 with the new wind tunnel, which consolidated them as the best team in 2024 and are on track to repeat in 2025 (something catastrophic would have to happen for them not to win the Constructors’ Championship). But they know that reaching that level overnight is practically impossible. However, who knows, the fight for the World Championship between their two drivers, Norris and Piastri, could hold some surprises or incidents that favor Fernando Alonso’s interests.
Optimism at Aston Martin
At Aston Martin, they are optimistic. They are highly motivated for the end of the season. The team started out as one of the worst and are gradually proving that they can be a force to be reckoned with. If they manage to fight with the best, as they hope, it will be confirmation for next year, when the team hopes to make the leap to fight for the World Championship. The second half of the F1 World Championship begins, with the teams looking ahead to 2026, but not the drivers, who still have a lot to say in the races remaining in 2025.