Damon Hill absolutely loved what ‘cheeky monkey’ Fernando Alonso did after the Dutch Grand Prix

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The Dutch Grand Prix had the potential to kick start Aston Martin’s underwhelming season after the Formula 1 summer break.

Aston Martin sit comfortably in 5^th in the Constructors’ Championship but are some way off the top four teams and will be looking over their shoulder for the rest of the campaign at this rate.

However, both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll reached Q3 at Zandvoort and would have been eyeing a double-point finish.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz were starting behind them and Alex Albon’s disqualification promoted Stroll a further place up the grid.

They got off to the worst possible start though as Pierre Gasly navigated his way past both drivers going into the first corner and compromised their race.

Although the usual four teams occupied the top eight positions, Gasly held onto 9^th meaning Aston Martin had to settle for a single point as Alonso navigated Nico Hulkenberg.

Both drivers were caught up in Kevin Magnussen’s typical tactics at one point while Stroll’s time penalty for speeding in the pit lane ended his faint hopes of a top-ten finish.

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill has commented on something he spotted Alonso doing after the race on Instagram.

Although Alonso is the most experienced driver in Formula 1 history, there’s still plenty he can learn about the sport.

In particular, the Spaniard wanted to take a closer look at McLaren’s car as he tried to understand what his old team are doing that’s giving them such an advantage over the rest of the field.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

Damon Hill loved Fernando Alonso studying McLaren’s car after the Dutch Grand Prix

In a video shared by the official Formula 1 account, Alonso can be seen crouching down at the end of the race, caught on the camera on his Aston Martin.

Alonso is closing examining the back of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren which is in front of him in the parc ferme queue.

Hill responded to the video on his Instagram and said: “Cheeky Monkey,” as he studied his old team’s vehicle as they confirmed their place as the fastest car on the grid.

Whether Alonso would be able to communicate to his Aston Martin team what he saw on the back of Piastri’s car and whether that can help them is yet to be seen.

However, when the opportunity arises, it’s not a surprise that Alonso wanted to know exactly how McLaren have overturned the deficit over Red Bull and the rest of the field.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Lawrence Stroll asked about Adrian Newey’s ‘start’ date during Dutch Grand Prix

Aston Martin are unlikely to close the gap to the top four teams before the end of the 2024 season.

However, team owner Lawrence Stroll is trying to put the pieces into place to make sure Aston Martin are challenging in 2025 and beyond.

Aston Martin beat the rest of the field to the hiring of Andy Cowell and the arrival of Enrico Cardile has been heralded as well.

Adrian Newey is the name on everybody’s lips and Martin Brundle cheekily asked Stroll about Newey’s potential ‘start’ date.

Newey’s future is up in the air and while one man can’t win a Formula 1 team a championship, he’s got plenty of experience designing cars that go on to achieve incredible things.