Alonso Cautiously Upbeat After Strong Friday Showing in Mexico

Fernando Alonso left Mexico City's opening day cautiously optimistic after the AMR26 showed unexpected pace at a circuit that was supposed to expose Aston Martin's weaknesses. He finished FP1 in seventh and slipped to 12th in the afternoon, but his 0.769s deficit to Charles Leclerc in FP2 marked a clear step forward for a team that has been measuring gaps in seconds this season.

Why it matters:

Mexico's 2,200-metre altitude punishes power units, brakes and cooling systems, and the long straights were expected to hurt the Honda-backed package. Instead, Aston Martin ended Friday as the seventh-fastest car, a result that hints at genuine progress heading into the final stretch of the year.

The details:

• Alonso was 1.229s off Leclerc in FP1 and closed to 0.769s in FP2, a margin far smaller than earlier in the season.
• Pedro de la Rosa pointed to the layout: Mexico's run of slow corners in Sector 1 and the second-gear final sector play to the car's strengths.
• Cooling — not turbo lag — is the main worry, with de la Rosa praising Honda for largely neutralising the lag at altitude.
• The other side of the garage had a rougher day: Jak Crawford stopped on track in FP1, leaving Lance Stroll chasing setup through FP2.
• Alonso downplayed the low-downforce challenge, saying the car "feels very similar to the last few years here."

What's next:

If the team can manage temperatures through the rest of the weekend, Saturday should confirm whether Friday's pace was real or track-specific. Alonso's verdict was measured — no big concerns, but plenty still to prove.