Following a brief 3-week interlude Formula One reconvened at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, situated deep in the very scenic Ardennes Forest – one of the most demanding, longest and unpredictable (weather-wise) venues on the race calendar. The Belgian Grand Prix is a perennial driver favourite, a true test of nerve and willingness to believe, that whilst they are in their high-speed machines the circuit remains a high-speed rollercoaster. Likewise for the fans, who come from all corners, to make the annual pilgrimage. For the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, Spa was not just another race but a strategic checkpoint. With its mix of long straights, high-speed corners and sudden weather changes, the track demanded a well-balanced car and tactical sharpness. The team arrived with some upgrades and high hopes of making inroads in the congested midfield battle, especially after having secured a double points finish at Silverstone at the beginning of the month. However, the team decided not to use the new front wing and floor as it was deemed to be unsuitable for this circuit. Adding some complexity to the weekend was that this was going to be the one and only race in Europe that would include a Sprint race, thereby compressing the setup time and requiring instant performance, precision and execution.
When the one and only Free Practice session began on Friday Alonso was prompt in getting on track immediately and he slotted into P3 on his 4th lap with an assured run. Stroll, meanwhile, was called by his engineer to ‘box’ and come back to the garage due to a reported issue. The mechanics stripped his car to resolve a telemetry fault and once it was resolved, off he went. At the 20 minute point though, after his first few laps, Stroll was only running 18th, whilst Alonso, who had covered 8 laps by then, was in P10. Stroll started to improve though and just after the halfway stage he was in P9 and Alonso was P12. Stroll continued to improve strongly in the final 15 minutes, when he was sent out on soft tyres for his final ‘push’ laps, going faster than any other driver in sector 2 and even going P1 with just over 10 minutes to go. With the clock ticking down to 5 minutes to go Stroll was P3, Alonso P4. At the close of the session both Aston Martins were in the top 10 -Stroll P8, Alonso P9.
Attention then turned to Sprint Qualifying later in the afternoon, when this time both Aston Martin drivers waited until the closing minutes of SQ1 to set their fast laps — a decision that paid off as Stroll initially went P6, before Alonso put himself P4, pushing Stroll down to P7. Behind them, a fast-charging Hamilton had a huge spin at the final chicane, which brought out yellow flags that required anyone in that sector to slow down and which compromised several rivals but ensured that both Alonso and Stroll progressed comfortably to the next round, in P4 and P7 respectively. After a short delay to the start of SQ2, to clear up gravel on track picked up by Antonelli in SQ1, Aston Martin adopted the same ‘wait until later’ tactic and didn’t send their drivers out until there were just 4 minutes left. This timing misjudgement proved costly. With just one flawless lap in which to get the tyres primed and with the track continually evolving it resulted in a couple of underwhelming laps and the pair getting pushed down the order and out of further qualifying by cars & drivers who timed their runs later. At the end Alonso was classified P14, Stroll P15. In the top 10 shoot-out that followed, Piastri took pole position, with Verstappen the sandwich between the second McLaren, with Norris at the wheel.
Early the following morning it was time for the Sprint race and all the cars got away cleanly off the start and on the first lap, going up the long Kemmel straight, Verstappen made his race-winning pass on Piastri and made it stick to the end of the race. Behind, the Aston Martins were in close company of each other, with Stroll making a bold move on Alonso at La Source to pass him. Both inherited a position from Gasly, who although qualified 8th, was not able to start and they were running P13 and P14 respectively. The short format of the Sprint offered little room for progress. By mid-distance, the AMR25s had settled into a rhythm, holding off Albon and Hamilton in pursuit. Alonso came under attack from Albon late in the race, but a minor mistake by the Williams driver allowed Hamilton to pounce and pass him. The race ended without further incident or movement in positions — Stroll finished 13th, Alonso 14th. The race was won by Verstappen, with Piastri 2nd & Norris 3rd.
Later in the day, when Qualifying was about to start, the Aston Martin team decided to send both of their drivers out early and into an initial pit-lane logjam. On his way to the queue Alonso reported that he “nearly crashed” with Bearman after the Haas moved into the pit lane queue ahead of him, while Stroll drove over Hulkenberg’s front wing as the German tried to push into the queue while not entitled to do so. Hulkenberg ended up with a damaged front wing and although the incident was investigated after the session for an unsafe release, no action was taken. Once on track though, the Aston Martins just couldn’t make an impression - both drivers struggling with grip, an abundance of traffic and track evolution playing tricks. Both Alonso and Stroll were knocked out — Alonso P19 and Stroll P20 — making this Aston Martin’s weakest qualifying of the season. Stroll’s frustrations spilled over: “The car was virtually undriveable,” he said post-session. Alonso remained measured but equally dissatisfied. "It hurts for sure," he said. "It is something about this layout which is a little worse for our package." At the front, Norris snatched pole position, ahead of Piastri and Leclerc.
Spa-Francorchamps, renowned for its changing weather, saved its most important twist for race day. A heavy downpour drenched the circuit shortly before the scheduled start. With standing water and near-zero visibility, the FIA opted for a Safety Car-led formation lap. At Aston Martin, Alonso had opted to take on a new power unit, resulting in him starting from the pit lane. Three other drivers took the same decision but Alonso would be behind them all due to his poor qualifying finish. Stroll though would benefit slightly and would start P16 on the grid. Not that it would make much difference though, as during the single formation lap, visibility was deemed to be too poor and the race start procedure was aborted, red flags were shown and the race cars followed the Aston Martin Vantage Safety Car back into the pits. Amusingly, the Aston Martin Safety Car that led the field for the only competitive lap during that window — a moment of irony not lost on the green garage. After an hour and twenty minutes the rain eased and the race was restarted — again behind the Safety Car. After 5 laps it peeled off into the pits and the race proper was underway. Alonso, from the back, began an aggressive charge, setting the fastest lap early on as the track slowly dried. Stroll lost a place to Sainz initially but fought back to retake it, only to be outmanoeuvred by Sainz and then Hamilton and finally Antonelli, in quick succession. At the end of lap 6, Stroll was down to 19th, with Alonso less than a second behind him. On Lap 11, Alonso overtook Stroll but decided to take a risk, pitting for slick tyres as a dry line started to emerge on the track. The bold call began to pay off and by lap 14, Alonso was up to P13, having gained 7 places. Stroll, also came into the pits a lap after Alonso and tried to start his own progression up the order, chasing Antonelli ahead of him, but with Sainz less than a second behind. Alonso meanwhile seemed to have got stuck behind Tsunoda and didn’t advance any further, which allowed Bearman to bear (forgive the pun!) down and pass Alonso on lap 17. On the next lap Stroll made a confident pass on Hadjar at Les Combes to go P17, then went P16 after dispatching Colapinto on Lap 22. At that halfway stage, Alonso held P14, Stroll P16. The gap between P11 to P15 was very tight, with all the cars within DRS range of each other. Eventually, on lap 27, Antonelli passed Alonso and on the following lap Alonso seemed to be struggling for grip and slid off the track. Though he avoided damage, the loss of momentum proved costly and he had to come into the pits again on Lap 30. But a slow right-rear tyre change cost him more time and he rejoined the race in P17. Stroll stayed out and benefited briefly from drivers ahead coming in for their second pit stops and moved up to P13 during all the pit rotations. The final ten laps saw Alonso hunting the midfield again and although he closed up he just couldn’t pass anybody. In the final three laps Stroll was unable to hold off Hulkenberg, who’d been in for a second set of fresh tyres and got passed and it remained like that until the chequered flag fell – Stroll in P14, Alonso P17. Piastri secured victory for McLaren, just ahead of Norris but the pair were 17 seconds faster than Leclerc in third.
It was a very disappointing finish, way out of the points, for the Aston Martins. Alonso offered a blunt but fair assessment post-race: “Unfortunately, things haven't gone our way this weekend in Belgium. We tried to be aggressive with strategy, but traffic and one mistake took us out of the fight. We committed to a wet set-up, but the race ended up being mostly dry and sunny. We managed to make up a few places but our race still wasn't there.” Stroll, equally candid, said: “It's been a tough weekend for us. There were a few laps where it felt okay, but we weren’t competitive today. We did what we could and it was probably the most we could achieve today but ultimately we want to finish in the points. It’s frustrating.”
The team has now fallen 5 points behind the Racing Bulls in the Constructors’ Championship and are now 8th, just one point ahead of the Haas team. There is little time to reset, as the teams relocate swiftly to Hungary and look forward to Budapest in less than a week's time. It's a very different track and with the upgrades supposedly more suitable for that track, hopefully there will be opportunities for Aston Martin to be back in the points.