Despite 18th place in qualifying: Fernando Alonso celebrates step forward

– Making up three seconds of deficit to the top within just two race weekends sounds like a huge milestone. For Fernando Alonso, this huge leap is a reality – even though the Spaniard knows how fiercely contested the midfield of the 2026 Formula 1 season remains. In qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix, the Spaniard managed 18th place in the Aston Martin.

Read more Zandvoort Qualifying: Norris surpasses himself and takes pole

“The lap was not great,” Alonso admits frankly with regard to qualifying at Zandvoort. “Some drivers were on warm-up laps, others on fast attempts. You can still find a tenth here and there, but that doesn’t change the overall picture much. The position is not that bad. The previous lap was four tenths slower, we were simply close to the limit. That’s what we currently have.”

After making it into Q2 in Budapest, this time about a tenth of a second was missing to the safe side. However, the real reason for optimism for the veteran lies in the gap to the very front: Q1 leader Oscar Piastri was only 1.3 seconds ahead of him.

Alonso calculates the steps Aston Martin has made

“Our deficit to the top was on average 4.5 seconds. So we have made up three seconds within two races,” Alonso calculates. “That’s great, and the parts work as expected. But Formula 1 is a tough sport.”

Qualifying analysis live on YouTube

Further lap time lies mainly in the area of drivability for the team. On site at the race track, however, the engineers’ hands are largely tied.

Read more IndyCar Washington 2026: Mick Schumacher best RLL driver in FT1

“We depend on bigger changes from the factory or in the software,” explains Alonso. “That has to come from Japan and doesn’t happen overnight. We are looking more towards Monza, where we have to take the next step. There is still a lot to optimize in the current package.”

The view on the Zandvoort race

For the Grand Prix itself, the two-time world champion traditionally expects more than just a single fast lap – even though the top speed deficits worry him.

“Normally we are better off in race pace because our chassis works very well,” he looks ahead. “When the tires degrade in the race, we can rely on the good mechanical grip of our car and are not so extremely dependent on pure tire grip.”

He adds: “We can do a better job, but we have a problem: We can’t overtake on the straights. That puts us in a difficult position, but we will give it our all.”

Read more Formula 1 live ticker: Russell wins the sprint, Norris on pole