Lance Stroll’s new Aston Martin suffered a rear suspension failure, sending him spinning out during first practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix. This isn’t just a minor glitch; Aston Martin rolled out a virtually new car for this race, their first major upgrade of the season, and the suspension was one of the key revised designs.
The Crash and the Upgrade Gamble
Stroll’s incident at Turn Three, with about 20 minutes left in the session, was a stark reminder of the risks of introducing major changes mid-season. The left rear suspension simply gave out. You bring a “virtually new car” to the track, hoping for a performance jump, and instead, your driver is in the gravel with a broken part. This was supposed to be Aston Martin’s big moment, a chance to claw their way back after slumping to the back of the field. What a gut punch to see a critical new component fail right out of the gate.
Alonso’s Silver Lining (Maybe?) and Leclerc’s Pace
Despite the drama with Stroll, his teammate Fernando Alonso managed to get out on track after the restart. Alonso, who turns 45 on July 29, clocked the 13th fastest time. Now, 13th isn’t exactly where Aston Martin wants to be, but it’s a significant step forward from where they’ve been this season. In recent races, they’ve been about four seconds off the pace. Alonso’s time was 2.475 seconds from Charles Leclerc’s leading pace. So, mathematically, that’s a noticeable improvement! He’s optimistic about the upgrade, and honestly, after being that far behind, you’d take any step forward you could get.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc for Ferrari absolutely flew, setting the pace in first practice. He’s been on fire lately, too, finishing first and then second at the past two grands prix at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps. He was a solid 0.484 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in this session. However, even Leclerc wasn’t immune to issues; his session ended early when his car had a failure, grinding to a halt in the pit lane. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton secured third, with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar fourth. Mercedes’ George Russell took fifth, ahead of Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto. Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti, driving for championship leader Kimi Antonelli, was seventh. Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg, plus the Racing Bulls duo of Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, rounded out the top ten.
What’s Next for Aston Martin
The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend just kicked off, and what a start it’s been for Aston Martin. The team needs to quickly figure out what went wrong with Stroll’s car and validate Alonso’s early optimism for the upgrade. With Leclerc’s speed and Verstappen not far behind, the field is tightening up. Can Aston Martin keep building on that “significant step forward,” or will Stroll’s setback be a sign of deeper trouble? We’ll be watching every lap to see how this shakes out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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