AUGUST 25, 2026

Alonso praises Aston chassis but asks Honda for consistency

Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin's latest chassis developments are delivering, while the new Honda power unit still requires drivability work.

Fernando Alonso's ninth place at Zandvoort offered Aston Martin something it has rarely enjoyed this season: evidence that its development work is moving in the intended direction.

The more interesting part of Alonso's assessment was the division he drew between the chassis and the power unit.

Aston Martin introduced a major chassis package in Hungary and added further revisions in the Netherlands. Alonso said those components had translated into genuine performance, describing the car as very easy to drive and gentle on its tyres.

That allowed Aston Martin to attempt a one-stop strategy and resist the temptation to pit during two late Virtual Safety Car periods. The decisions were rewarded with ninth place, the team's best result of the season achieved on the road rather than through post-race penalties.

Honda also brought its new Spec 2 power unit to Zandvoort, but Alonso was more guarded about that side of the package. He said it was difficult to make a direct power comparison, although the team may have gained performance.

The remaining concern is drivability. Alonso said the new specification lacks some of the consistency the team had developed with the earlier engine. That affects throttle response, energy deployment and the driver's confidence when applying power—qualities that do not always appear in a simple horsepower figure.

Honda completed the weekend without a major reliability problem and has identified drivability as an area requiring further work. Alonso expects the optimisation process to continue over the next several races.

The result is therefore encouraging without being transformative. Aston Martin appears to have found a productive chassis direction, but the complete car will only advance when the Honda and the AMR26 behave as a single package.

In Formula 1, the stopwatch does not award separate marks for the engine and the chassis. Alonso's ninth place suggests the two sides are finally getting closer, even if they have not yet arrived together.