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What Fernando Alonso needs to keep racing. Plus: Ferrari leads early in Hungary
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Welcome back to Prime Tire, where today I’m thinking about the biggest story so far at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix: Aston Martin’s new car.
But before I get to that, a quick ask today: If you know someone who could use more free, accessible F1 coverage, please forward this email their way.
I’m Alex, and Luke Smith will be along later.
Decisions: Can F1 give Alonso the adrenaline he wants?
It’s a big weekend in F1.
Most of the paddock is looking forward to summer vacations, with the mandatory factory shutdown period just around the corner. George Russell urgently needs to hit back in the intra-Mercedes title fight. And Aston Martin has, essentially, a new car in Budapest.
It’s considered a new car because of just how many parts the team has changed since Spa on July 5. So much work had to be done. Aston’s mechanics had to break the curfew conditions for team staff last night to get its two cars ready for today’s practice (this is allowed if necessary).
Almost every area of the AMR26 has been refined or lightened. And I want to know what this means for Aston star driver Fernando Alonso.
The green team’s struggles are already horribly familiar for Alonso this year, particularly as its first Honda engine has been largely off the pace of the leaders. But Honda will be unleashing its first upgraded engine at Zandvoort in late August.
With major car updates coming in two parts, it will be difficult to gauge how successful Aston’s aerodynamic work is in Hungary: The car is still being held back by the Honda engine’s lack of internal combustion power grunt and its weak engine electrical deployment.
But it’s still a big moment for Aston.
- Firstly because Aston’s car was significantly overweight during its awful start to the season. Making new aero parts fresh out of a lighter material will bring an instant lap-time gain, even if the extra downforce benefits of more sophisticated aero isn’t what the team hopes.The early indication is that these are an improvement. (The car also looks slightly less ugly now, IMO.)
- Secondly, the 44-year-old Alonso has suggested driving the upgraded Aston will help him figure out whether he wants to keep racing in F1 in 2027.The Spaniard is one of two drivers in question in regards to the 2027 market — along with Max Verstappen at Red Bull (although the Dutchman is looking increasingly likely to stay put there, given the lack of alternative seats at front-running teams).As Alonso said at the FIA news conference ahead of Budapest, “I do have a contract (for 2027), so I’m not moving.”
Again — when it comes to Alonso’s F1 tenure — we have to cover two things first.
- One, Alonso’s contract firmness comes down to various options in the multi-year deal he agreed to in early 2024. So, presumably, he both has a contract option he can choose to take up and one he can choose to walk away from.
- And secondly, as Luke explained here, there has been speculation in the paddock that Alonso is considering a shock switch back to Alpine next year.
But, the bigger element to driving in F1 next year, at least according to Alonso’s public utterances, is how he feels in the latest new car era.
“My decision for next year is more about the rules,” Alonso said after the Belgian GP. “Driving these cars in places like Spa, or Silverstone (at the) last race, is not what I dream of.”
Alonso said this because of how quickly the new engines ran out of electrical power and slowed down two of F1’s classic tracks, where taking high-speed corners at full pelt was what the drivers used to love.
Then at the Hungary news conference yesterday, Alonso said: “It’s not a problem with the competitiveness of the team. It’s just a problem of whether F1 gives me the adrenaline that I need to live.”
And this is why the Aston upgrade won’t be the most decisive factor in Alonso’s F1 future decision. He will want to see the team making progress with its new aero parts, compared to what its design tools said was possible.
But until he samples the engine rule changes coming in 2027 that will reduce the engine’s reliance on electrical systems and help return classic tracks to their glory, Alonso won’t have all the answers he wants.
There are other aspects that can’t be ignored — such as high F1 driver salaries and the championship’s global status. But whether Alonso really enjoys driving a car he thinks can enter title contention will be the deciding factor to staying in F1.
Now, over to Luke.
Inside the Paddock with Luke Smith: F1 drivers, they’re just like us (sometimes)
Many F1 drivers enjoy the luxury of traveling by private jet around the European-centric middle portion of the season. But for some, particularly the youngsters, a budget-friendly flight is good enough.
Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson posted a selfie alongside his teammate Arvid Lindblad on an EasyJet flight out of Belgium last Sunday, sparking amusement among fans who had not expected two F1 drivers to put faith in the budget airline.
“I’ve not got much money,” said Lindblad, the 18-year-old rookie. “So I’m still going on normal commercial flights. There’s nothing wrong with that. If I can save a bit of money, I may as well, even if I have more.”
Lindblad revealed he was due to be in the aisle seat on the plane out of Belgium, but a passenger already sitting there was “very upset” at the suggestion of moving, so he graciously took the middle seat. (As a big aisle seat fan myself, I couldn’t fathom not taking what was his!)
It’s been nearly three years since Lawson made his F1 debut, but he revealed he still flies coach “quite often,” as direct business class flights to Nice (the closest international airport to Monaco, where most F1 drivers live) can be hard to come by.
Lawson’s preference for flights is a window seat as he struggles to sleep on planes. (Again, can’t relate — aisle seat FTW!)
So, if you ever think that F1 drivers aren’t completely like me and you, do keep an eye out the next time you’re flying a budget airline.
Back to you, Alex.
Safety: Another new car to debut in Hungary
The Aston Martin isn’t the only new car being revealed in Hungary this weekend. There’s also a new F1 safety car from Mercedes.
Since the start of the 2026 season, after Aston opted not to continue providing safety cars, Mercedes has been the sole manufacturer of such machines. Now, it decided to replace the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series — that came out during 51 F1 races since 2022 — with the GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+.
This is the 14th Mercedes F1 safety car — stretching back to 1996 — and the first to use all-wheel drive technology. It produces 612 bhp, compared to 720 bhp for the GT Black Series. Like its predecessor, its warning lights are built into the rear wing.
Previously, F1 safety car lights were fitted to the top of each car, as was the case with the Aston Vantage F1 used between 2021 and 2025. The GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+, however, has a camera fitted to its rear wing.
“It really comes into its own when cornering and accelerating,” longtime F1 safety car driver Bernd Mayländer said in a statement.
There are two GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+ cars at the Hungaroring track this weekend, both in a special livery to celebrate 30 years of Mercedes’ safety cars.
Budapest Leaderboard: Hamilton quickest after FP2
The Hungarian GP weekend track action got underway with two one-hour practice sessions at the Hungaroring track today. Here’s what you need to know:
- In FP1, Charles Leclerc led the way for Ferrari with a best time of 1:19.075 seconds, ahead of Verstappen. Leclerc’s car then came to a halt in the pit entry with what looked like a gearbox problem.
- Five rookie drivers replaced regulars in the opening session: Frederik Vesti in place of Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, Leonardo Fornaroli for McLaren, Ryō Hirakawa at Haas, Alpine’s Paul Aron and Colton Herta at Cadillac. The quickest was Vesti, in seventh place.
- Aston’s upgraded car looked promising, with Alonso 13th — albeit 2.5 seconds off the pace — but Lance Stroll suffered a dramatic suspension issue and spun off and out midway through proceedings.
- In FP2, Lewis Hamilton kept Ferrari’s good start going, with a fastest time of 1:18.729 seconds. Leclerc took second.
- Franco Colapinto crashed and caused a red flag stoppage midway through the session. The Alpine driver was struggling for grip at the final corners, something that plenty of his rivals also encountered.
- Stroll missed the second session as there was not “enough time to repair the damage from FP1,” per an Aston team statement.
- And Mercedes had a quiet day overall, with Russell just fifth in both sessions and championship leader Antonelli down in 13th once he took his car back from Vesti for FP2.
Outside the Points
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