Fernando Alonso was the surprise package of Dutch Grand Prix free practice by splitting the McLarens in second place, but how real is Aston Martin’s pace this time?
Alonso set a lap just 0.087s slower than pacesetter Lando Norris while edging 0.002s ahead of championship leader Oscar Piastri in third, with the next quickest team Mercedes three tenths behind and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen even further adrift.
There are obviously the usual caveats around free practice running – with varying engine modes, fuel levels and set-up experimentation – and Zandvoort is no different, with its narrow and tricky layout further sowing chaos. Second practice was disrupted plenty of times with two red flags and a virtual safety car.
One of those red flags came out for a heavy crash by Lance Stroll, which hampered Aston’s preparation significantly. But one constant was that he and Alonso were quick all day, with the pair having already finished third and fourth in FP1.
“Aston’s really quick,” world champion Verstappen remarked, while Russell was also wary of the Silverstone squad’s potential to be a formidable opponent this weekend. “Aston obviously had a really bad run of form, and then they were really on it in Hungary and made a great result,” he said. “Here they look fast. As it stands it looks like a bit of a fight with the Astons, with Max and with ourselves, but I’m sure Ferrari will get in there.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
Red Bull is known for running relatively conservative engine modes on Friday, as Verstappen shipped 0.588s to Norris and thus half a second to Alonso, but Helmut Marko thinks Aston’s pace isn’t a mirage.
“No, they looked fast – long runs, short runs with all sorts of tyres, especially Alonso,” he said, while confirming Red Bull is still struggling with balance issues despite a front wing tweak. “After Budapest, what they changed is really effective. Aston Martin is surprisingly fast. So I think it’s a fight behind for P3 between Aston Martin, Mercedes and us.
“We have to sort out our balance problems. Normally it takes until Saturday for our set-up to start working, so let’s stay optimistic. In the long runs, we are nearer. And the harder the compounds, the better we are.”
Even Norris remarked Alonso was “certainly a bit closer than what we would like for the time being”, but said he was not that surprised after the team’s strong showing at the previous round, before the summer break. In Hungary, Alonso and Stroll rebounded from an awful Spa weekend with fifth and sixth in qualifying, converting those grid slots into fifth and seventh on Sunday.
That turnaround, one week on from being the slowest team on the grid, looks surprising but is perhaps best explained by the fact that the upgraded AMR25 really excels on twisty circuits with high downforce requirements, while its lack of aerodynamic efficiency means it is paying a bigger price for its draggy cars on circuits that also require high top speeds, like Spa. That weakness went unpunished at the Hungaroring, and while people within the team don’t necessarily believe Zandvoort is suiting the car quite as well as Budapest, its high downforce prowess is being confirmed.
In F1’s tightest-ever midfield – which is becoming a cliche, but it’s true – such a peaky car can mean the difference between Q3 at one race and the back of the grid at another circuit type.
“Hungary was strong for us and now we’re going to the following race in Zandvoort and we’re still showing some good pace on free practice,” Alonso said. “We know it’s only free practice, but it’s good to see our times up there and let’s see what we can do tomorrow. Everything that we brought to the track is working as expected. So, this brings huge confidence into what we will do now in the next winter.”
But few people believe McLaren has anything to worry about in qualifying, and neither does Alonso. “No, not really. I don’t think that is within our reach, fighting with the McLarens. But maybe some of the top teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, they seem not too far away, so we will try to be in that mix.”

Lance Stroll was unhurt in a huge crash in FP2
Photo by: Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto / Getty Images
Alonso only completed a very short “long run” in FP2 due to the stoppages, so that doesn’t give us a valuable glimpse of how Aston can fare on Sunday. For what it’s worth, Alonso was an average of four tenths slower than Norris on the few laps he got on the medium tyre. But with a one-stop race all but guaranteed, a strong qualifying performance will do the heavy lifting just like it did in Hungary.
At least the two-time F1 champion’s run was longer than Stroll’s, who didn’t get to that stage after a heavy thump into the banked Hugenholtzbocht – or Turn 3 for those keen to avoid any Dutch tongue-twisters. The smash caused huge damage to the entire right-hand side of Stroll’s car, but he escaped without injury.
“Just a little lock-up and then from there I was just a passenger,” Stroll explained, who did share Alonso’ optimism that his team’s pace is genuine. Asked if he and the Spaniard can fight for the first couple of rows, the Canadian replied: “I think so. For sure, it looks that way.
“We looked competitive all the way throughout the day, and Fernando again in FP2. So, we’re in a good spot and see what we can do.”
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