Do you think Aston Martin’s upgrade could persuade Fernando Alonso to continue as a driver? – Robert

Fernando Alonso is out of contract at the end of the year and has a decision to make as to whether to stay in F1 next year.

He is 45 on Wednesday and has been doing this for 25 years. He wants to be sure he makes the right decision because, unlike the last time he stepped away from F1 in 2018, there will be no coming back this time when he leaves.

Alonso has been discussing his mindset on his future all season. In a nutshell, he has said he will continue to race, but he does not know whether that will be in F1.

He enjoys the competition of F1, but – like most of his colleagues – he is not enamoured by the new generation of engines and the need for energy management and how that has detracted from the driving experience.

He has been less clear about how the competitiveness of the Aston Martin-Honda package will affect his decision.

Alonso is a difficult person to read, and he can be gnomic when he speaks.

My feeling is he is leaning towards continuing, but only if he feels he can be confident Aston Martin will be in decent shape next year. Another year like the first half of this one – stuck at the back, racing no-one – has no appeal at all.

In Hungary, the debut of the new Aston Martin car was a significantly positive step. Alonso made it out of first qualifying for the first time this year, and the race pace was strong.

The team, it turns out, had hoped for an improvement of about two seconds a lap from the aerodynamic improvements and weight-saving, and, at least in Hungary, that was pretty much delivered. That’s a remarkable step – pretty much unheard of in terms of mid-season upgrades.

It was also important because the upgrade was a proving test for the factory’s ability to deliver developments that worked – which had not been the case for three years.

The next step is the new Honda engine, which will make its race debut at the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break.

The Honda is a long way behind the other power units – something in the region of of about 1.5secs per lap off the best, Aston Martin believe internally.

The impending upgrade will not narrow that gap completely. But it is hoped that it will narrow about a third of it.

This is equally important for Alonso. He will want to see proof that Honda can deliver improvement – not least because he has prior experience from his time at McLaren from 2015-17 of Honda’s promises not living up to reality.

I’m told he will wait to see how that goes before properly considering his decision on his future.

The team want him to stay. Team principal Adrian Newey said at the weekend: “Fernando is an amazing driver. He brings huge amounts to the team, both in his feedback and his ability.

“So, for us, of course it’s important. I’m pretty confident that Fernando is enjoying his time with us and that we will continue with our relationship.”

Ultimately it is up to Alonso.

Katie Boulter failed to build on a promising start as she suffered a 3-6 6-2 6-2 defeat to American Ashlyn Krueger in the first round of the Mubadala DC Open.

In Mexico, fellow Brit Cameron Norrie booked his place in the second round of the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo with a 6-4 6-1 victory against world No 95 Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Boulter dominated the first set and went a break up in the seventh game as Krueger sent a backhand long.

The Brit, who was making her first appearance since a first-round Wimbledon exit, broke again two games later to clinch the opening set.

Krueger turned things around after making 16 unforced errors in the first set, to break Boulter twice in the second and level the contest.

The final set was a tense affair, with Krueger immediately going on the offensive, forcing Boulter to save two break points, but the Brit held service.

Boulter then hit back, taking a 2-0 lead, but could not sustain her momentum, with Krueger breaking her opponent three times over the next five games to seal victory.

Krueger will now take on four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the second round.

Norrie ends ATP Tour losing streak

Norrie ended a six-match streak without a win on the ATP Tour with a big victory against Kovacevic in Mexico.

Despite winning in straight sets, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Brit, who lost on service in the opening game.

He hit back immediately, levelling the set, but again struggled to hold serve, with Norrie saving two break points to fend off his opponent’s advances.

The first set came down to the wire, with Kovacevic and Norrie trading breaks again in the eighth and ninth games, but it was the Brit who came out on top.

Norrie kicked into second gear in the second set, taking a 4-1 lead before seeing out the match in just over half an hour to book a second-round tie against either Aidan Mayo or Jamie Duckworth.

Watch the Mubadala DC Open LIVE on Sky Sports Tennis from 4pm on Tuesday, with Alex De Minaur and Stefanos Tsitsipas set to go head-to-head this evening, while Venus Williams takes on Anastasia Potapova later tonight. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW

Ollie Pope scored the winning runs with the last ball to take MI London to a dramatic three-wicket victory over Southern Brave at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton.

Opener Jamie Smith top-scored with 49 from 26 balls, falling agonisingly short of a half-century as the Test wicketkeeper continued to strengthen his case for a place in England’s white-ball setup. Tristan Stubbs’ 38 from 31 was the only other notable contribution in an otherwise underwhelming Southern Brave innings.

Impressive bowling, from Trent Boult (2-15) and Sam Curran (2-22) in particular, limited the Brave to a disappointing score of 129-9 after their 100 balls.

MI London, though, struggled to get settled at the crease, with opener James Vince (0) and No 3 Nicholas Pooran (0) falling in successive balls to Marcus Stoinis (3-17) to make a significant dent in the visitor’s top order.

Captain Sam Curran (30 off 29) was able to steady the ship alongside the impressive opener Will Jacks (54 off 41) and the productive Sherfane Rutherford (21 off 12), but the Brave bounced back, leaving MI London needing six off the final five balls.

The hosts looked to have one foot over the line when Rashid Khan’s dismissal left tailender Trent Boult on strike, with MI London needing three runs from the final three balls. Boult responded with a gutsy single to hand Ollie Pope the strike, and the former England batter sliced the last delivery into the outfield to scamper back for the winning two runs and seal a thrilling victory.

The victory lifts MI London up to third in The Hundred table, level on points with leaders Manchester Super Giants, albeit having played a game more. Southern Brave, meanwhile, slump to a third straight defeat and remain second from bottom.

What’s happening in the Hundred on Tuesday?

Sunrisers Leeds take on Manchester Super Giants in a men’s and women’s double header, live on Sky Sports from 3:00pm. Watch The Hundred and more contract-free on NOW