Fernando Alonso expected bit more in F1 Hungarian GP in terms of results and pace as he is unsure if they losing in development game.
After string of podium finishes at the start of the F1 2023 season, Aston Martin has fallen behind by a bit when the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes have somewhat maintained their bit, while McLaren has gained the maximum with double podium finishes.
Alonso more or less expected less in British GP but he felt the car would be stronger in Hungarian GP which wasn’t where they finished ninth and 10th. “The last two races we are struggling a little bit,” he said to media. “In Silverstone the safety car helped us in a way to finish seventh, which was a little bit better than our pace.
“In Silverstone and Hungary, ninth is probably our pace. Behind the Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. And this is more or less what we saw in qualifying and what we saw in the race. In Silverstone we did expect to struggle a little bit. In Budapest we thought to be a little bit stronger. It was not the case.
“So we try to analyze and get back strong in Spa next week,” summed up Alonso, who admits that they need to check on things and do proper analysis of where they are lacking. They are also looking at the updates and also the new tyres brought in.
“We need to check many things,” said Alonso. “It’s hard for us to understand a little bit better what is the car doing now compared to the beginning of the season. How many upgrades we brought compared to our main competitors, and then also understanding the new tires the best. They’re the same for everybody, so we just need to do a better job.
“Every race we would love to understand, and we have many questions, but we never know exactly what is the cause of it. In Austria, Nico Hulkenberg and the Haas were fourth in qualifying, so we were all surprised. In Silverstone, Williams were very fast, we were all surprised.
“In Hungary, Alfa Romeo was very fast, we were all surprised. But then in the race, normally everything balances out and the big teams finish in front. We are just in the back end of those top teams. So we need to get back to the front end of that group,” summed up Alonso.
Here’s how F1 Hungarian GP panned out