Alonso relieved to end points drought – but Aston 'must do more'

Fernando Alonso finally ended his barren run in the 2025 Formula 1 season by scoring points at his home race, the Spanish Grand Prix -- but the two-time world champion was left with “mixed feelings” despite finishing ninth in front of a passionate crowd in Barcelona.

It was the first time Alonso has finished in the top 10 this year, breaking an eight-race streak without a single point.

While the result offered some welcome relief to both Alonso and Aston Martin, the veteran admitted he had hoped for a stronger performance on home soil and urged his team to address key deficits in their car’s package.

Mixed Emotions Despite Points Breakthrough

After reaching Q3 and running inside the top 10 early in the race, Alonso made an uncharacteristic mistake that sent him through the gravel, costing him two positions.

A gritty recovery drive brought him back up to P10—later promoted to P9 due to Max Verstappen’s post-race penalty—but Alonso wasn’t entirely satisfied.

“Yeah, mixed feelings,” Alonso said. “Obviously happy for the points. P9 is the first two points of the championship and finally we avoid the question next Thursday if that will be the weekend.”

“I was expecting a little bit more probably from the race. I felt more competitive in qualifying than in the race. We had a lot of front tyre degradation, so the front left was done by seven laps into the stint.”

He continued: “And then we lacked top speed, so on the straights we were losing a lot. I didn't make any single overtake on the DRS. They were all made in Turn 3 on the outside, which is not a normal place to overtake, but we have to invent these kinds of moves.”

“Also in Imola I was out of Turn 7 when I made three overtakings in the last few laps. So we need to solve this situation and start overtaking on the straight with the DRS like everyone does.”

Call for Performance Gains on Race Day

Alonso pointed out two critical weaknesses in the current AMR25 package: poor straight-line speed and excessive tyre degradation, especially at the front. While the team continues to be relatively strong in qualifying, its race-day performance lags behind.

“It's only for us because everyone is overtaking, so we need to improve a little bit our straight line speed and also the degradation,” he said.

“As I said, Saturdays are quite competitive and Sundays we seem to take a step back. So happy for today for sure, first points, good Safety Car at the end, good timing and things.

“But if we go back on Thursday and we redo the weekend, we need to change something on the car to be a little bit more Sunday-biased than Saturday.”

• Read also: F1i Driver Ratings for the 2025 Spanish GP

While Alonso’s ninth-place finish brought a much-needed boost, it didn’t stop Aston Martin from slipping to ninth in the Constructors’ Championship. Nico Hulkenberg’s surprise fifth-place result for Sauber in Barcelona has pulled the Swiss outfit level on points with Aston Martin.

With only five points separating Aston Martin from last-place Alpine, Alonso emphasized the urgency of consistently scoring from now on.

“It’s just to free a little bit of pressure on everyone's shoulders in the team and try to get some consistency into Q3,” Alonso said.

“This was the third consecutive race on Q3, this is the first point, so if we build something that you are constantly in the top 10 on Saturdays and Sundays, definitely it will help everyone.

“We need to score points, also with Sauber scoring a lot of points today, it's mandatory for us that we score points every weekend or every two weekends, so we need to raise the level.”

With his first points of the season finally secured, Alonso will now turn his focus toward ensuring Aston Martin can build momentum and stay out of danger in an increasingly competitive midfield.

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