Jul.27 (GMM) As Aston Martin slumped to the back of the grid at Spa, Fernando Alonso was left to deflect attention from one of the worst qualifying results of his career – with a moustache.
While the team brought its final upgrade package of 2025, including a new front wing, both Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll qualified on the back row. Despite early optimism, the weekend never recovered.
“In FP1 we were able to test the new parts and it seems to be a step forward,” Alonso said on Friday. “We have more downforce with that wing and we’re happy with that. It’s the setup we’re using now.”
But by Saturday, the two-time world champion was more candid: “We shouldn’t be so slow.
The car felt good, I was going as fast as I could, but you see the time isn’t fast enough. It’s one of the fastest laps I’ve done here, but of course, there are rivals who beat the track record.”
“It is what it is,” Alonso added. “It was better in the corners, a little worse on the straights, but there was nothing wrong. I’m not surprised.”
Team boss Andy Cowell admitted the new parts may be under review. “If we’re not sure, we’ll go back to the familiar front wing, then we’ll look at the data,” he said. “The new nose improves the low-level airflow to the rear wing, but it should be a good addition in Budapest.”
Cowell confirmed Aston is done upgrading for the year. “These are the last new parts we plan to bring.
“There will be some cooling or downforce tweaks, but they belong to the same family of aerodynamic parts for the rest of the year.”
Alonso is hoping rain can help salvage something on Sunday. “It should rain, and it opens up our possibilities. Although I’d prefer to be in the top five and with a dry setup. You can’t overtake so easily, visibility is poor, and we need to understand what’s happening here to arrive better prepared for Hungary.”
Asked if he could pull off a surprise podium like Hulkenberg at Silverstone, Alonso laughed: “It hasn’t happened to me in 20 years of racing. I think he must have gone to Lourdes.”
Aston’s long-term focus is now clearly on 2026, with Adrian Newey already working exclusively on the new Honda-powered car. Cowell said even the potential purchase of Mercedes’ 2025-spec rear suspension is under review.
“It’s a distraction for the 2026 group in the wind tunnel, so we have to assess it carefully,” he said.
Still, the most visible sign of persistence in the Aston garage may be Alonso’s growing moustache – which he started cultivating at the Canadian GP, apparently to the dismay of long-time friend and colleague Pedro de la Rosa.
“It’s getting longer and longer, and it looks terrible on him,” de la Rosa laughed to DAZN. “We all agree that moustache looks bad on him, right?”
“In Canada, I told Fernando, ‘That moustache looks really bad on you.’ He told me, ‘You know what? I’m going to let it grow longer.’ And with each race, it looks worse on him.
“But since he’s so stubborn and wants to be contrary, he’s keeping it. I think he’s keeping it to annoy me.”
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