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Martin Brundle has praised Fernando Alonso for finally achieving Aston Martin’s first Q2 appearance of the 2026 F1 season at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The 16 upgrades that Adrian Newey and co have been working around the clock to ready for the AMR26 at the Hungarian Grand Prix in recent weeks have certainly delivered an uptick in performance for Fernando Alonso.
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While Lance Stroll continued to languish towards the back of the pack with the 20th fastest time of Q1, Alonso managed to eke his way into the second third of qualifying with a time over half a tenth quicker than his Aston Martin teammate’s.
The Spaniard ended Q2 with the slowest time of the 15-minute timed session, but track evolution may have played more of a part in his P16 grid slot than the pace of the AMR26 itself.
- READ MORE: Martin Brundle issues verdict on Aston Martin’s upgrades after what he saw from trackside in Hungary
Martin Brundle lauds Fernando Alonso after claiming Aston Martin’s first Q2 appearance of 2026
As Alonso claimed his place in Q2, F1 pundit Martin Brundle praised the 44-year-old’s one-lap pace in Sky Sports F1’s coverage of qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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While it is quite the achievement for Aston Martin considering their disastrous start to the 2026 campaign, the 67-year-old outlined why it is also somewhat of a “painful” feat for the British constructor.
“It’s painful to say it, but that’s quite a milestone for Aston Martin this year, isn’t it?” Brundle began (14:19 25/07). “But the really good news is there, they’re clearly beginning to really understand that car. If you can make upgrades like that, and just suddenly leap forward.
“They’ve out-qualified a Haas, two Williams and two Cadillacs, so that’s a decent step forward for Aston Martin. Now they need the power unit to do the same thing.”
Honda are expected to bring an upgrade to their underachieving power unit at the Dutch Grand Prix, following the conclusion of F1’s summer break. However, the Japanese engine manufacturer has already reportedly run into an issue with the update.
Creating a compliant fuel compression ratio is proving to be a problem for Honda engineers – a problem that ignited a political war between Mercedes and the rest of the grid’s engine suppliers at the beginning of the term.
Luckily, the Sakura-based brand now has nearly four weeks to ensure that progress can be made in the area. Even though Zandvoort is not renowned for being a power-sensitive track, the AMR26 will undoubtedly receive a big boost from the update.
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