{
  "id": 2407539,
  "title": "Alonso Optimistic for Aston Martin’s Dutch GP Upgrade Before Sprint Qualifying Fell Apart",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/alonso-optimistic-for-aston-martins-dutch-gp-upgrade-before-sprint",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-21T17:02:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/alonso-optimistic-aston-martin-dutch-170243113.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Fernando Alonso experienced a dramatic turnaround in his Aston Martin's performance during Sprint Qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix, going from a leading driver in practice to the last man on the timing sheet. The team's upgrade package appeared to help in practice, but Alonso never got a clean attempt to prove it. In FP1, he set a 1:14.511 on the soft compound, covering 25 laps. Stroll followed him in FP1, finishing 18th with a 1:15.199 from 24 laps. During Sprint Qualifying, Alonso set a 1:16.014 with medium tyres, placing 22nd, while Stroll managed 1:15.391, 19th. Alonso was notably slower, trailing by 0.623 seconds, 1.286 seconds behind Oliver Bearman's 17th-place benchmark of 1:14.728, and 4.447 seconds behind George Russell's pole time of 1:11.567. Alonso attributed the poor qualifying performance to drivability problems, engine driveability issues pushing on the brakes, and the inability to use the SLM (Straight-Line Mode) system for rear-wings. Despite these challenges, Alonso acknowledged that the free practice session felt okay, indicating a step forward for the team. However, the team's attempt to separate the effects of the Honda update from the drivability troubles and the failed rear-wing system left the results frustratingly inconclusive.",
  "summary": "Fernando Alonso went from Aston Martin’s leading driver in practice to the last man on the Sprint Qualifying timing sheet in a matter of hours. This can mean only one thing: the upgrade package the team brought this weekend may…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}