Fernando Alonso: Dutch GP strategy shows "I'm a very good driver"

Fernando Alonso was full of self-praise at the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix, claiming that being "a very good driver" allowed him to convert a one-stop strategy into a shock points finish for Aston martin

The Spanish racer finished ninth at Zandvoort on Sunday from 18th on the grid, claiming his second points results of the 2026 campaign after 10th at Monaco in June.

The way impressive Alonso took ninth was very impressive too, as he got as far as the 34th lap on a pair of soft tyres before switching to hard rubber for the remainder of the 72-lap contest.

That was amid other drivers utilising at least a two-stop strategy, so the double world champion would wait patiently behind those set to pit and then make the most of the overcut in clean air.

"I'm a very good driver," said Alonso, when asked how he made it work. "That was not the plan. I think the plan was two stops and to go more conventional.

"But we need to sometimes deviate a little bit from what is normal. When we are in traffic, we cannot use our potential.

"We are faster in the corners and the people in front of us, we are slower on the straights, and we're stuck behind.

"So, as soon as we have free track in front of us, we try to use it, even if it's not the optimal performance and the optimal strategy and it's what we did today."

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing, Alexander Albon, Williams

Alonso's result came after Aston Martin brought a radically different chassis to Budapest at the prior round, before bringing an upgraded Honda engine to the Netherlands.

The updates have so far worked well as the British marque is no longer F1's slowest team - a tag that now belongs to newcomer Cadillac - but its Zandvoort weekend didn't start positively.

Alonso qualified last for the sprint race - team-mate Lance Stroll was in 19th - as he encountered driveability problems due to his straightline mode not working, causing him to lock up at Turn 1.

Stroll and the Spaniard eventually finished the sprint in 17th and 18th before a more respectable qualifying session for Sunday's race, taking 18th and 19th ahead of Haas and Cadillac.

Alonso reckons Aston Martin will not be "competitive" at the low-downforce Monza up next, but Zandvoort still represented "another step forward" for the Silverstone-based outfit.

"Especially on the chassis side," he added. "We brought four or five components here.

"Also, the Budapest package was understood in the break and with all the data available after the race, we fine-tuned a little bit the set-up around that new spec, plus the new parts.

"I think, now, we are optimising the chassis side and we are able to extract the maximum.

"On the engine, it's more difficult. I don't think we can be black and white on if we have more power or not.

"From the driver's side of things, you change circuit one month after the other race, so the drivability has been a difficult weekend.

"We're struggling with the downshift again and we're struggling with the engine braking corner to corner. So, it was a challenging weekend in that regard."

How Fernando Alonso scored ninth at Zandvoort - and how Alex Albon lost a similar payday

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