Mark Webber saw Fernando Alonso ‘going crazy’ in Aston Martin car after Belgian Grand Prix

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Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso ran a lonely Belgian Grand Prix at the back of the field. Alonso was lapped twice and finished over a half minute behind Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas, who was second last.

For Alonso and Aston Martin, this outcome wasn’t a surprise. This is their last race without any upgrades, so should logically be the low point of their desperate season.

In Hungary this weekend, Aston are introducing the biggest package seen anywhere on the grid this year. Car designer Adrian Newey has already said it will be tantamount to a B-spec car.

Mark Webber watched Fernando Alonso ‘smashing’ Aston Martin car at Spa

While Alonso was resigned to finishing last – teammate Lance Stroll would have joined him at the back had he not retired – it was still a painful experience for the two-time world champion.

Mark Webber raced against the Spaniard in what was arguably his prime at Ferrari. They even competed for the world championship in 2010, though both lost out to Sebastian Vettel.

How much will Aston Martin’s highly-anticipated upgrades in Hungary reduce their deficit to the top?

Fernando Alonso still expects it to be "difficult" to reach Q2 in Budapest

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Asked on Channel 4’s Spa highlights if it’s better to finish last in F1 or not be in F1 at all, Webber replied: “That’s definitely going through his mind, there’s no question about that.”

Alonso was amongst the frontrunners when he crossed the line after a final round of blue flags, and Webber noticed him burning up his tyres in an apparent release of frustration. He appeared to deliberately slide the car out of the final corner.

“I watched him on the in-lap,” Webber said. “He crossed the line, he went to La Source [the first corner] and you come back in the pit lane – you don’t do an in-lap, you just do 200 metres.

“He was smashing the throttle, he was throwing the car sideways. He was going crazy in the car.

“He’s going to have an interesting August break.”

• READ MORE: Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll made telling gesture to Honda president on Belgian GP grid

Alonso is out of contract at the end of the season and has two decisions to make. With his 45th birthday coming up next week, he might choose to retire.

But if he does stay in F1, he must assess how long it will take Aston Martin to give him a competitive car. There have been rumours that Alonso could return to Alpine, who are currently fighting at the top of the midfield.

As he clarified on Sunday, Alonso’s future doesn’t hinge on Aston Martin’s upgrades. Instead, it comes down to his enjoyment, and he has become perhaps the biggest critic of the 2026 regulations.