Alonso: 'I'm a very good driver' after one-stop shock points finish at Zandvoort

Fernando Alonso was in self-congratulatory mood after the Dutch Grand Prix, crediting his own driving for turning an off-plan one-stop strategy into a ninth-place finish. Starting 18th, the Aston Martin driver made a set of soft tyres last until lap 34 before switching to hards, then used the overcut to leapfrog rivals and score his second points finish of 2026.

Why it matters:

Aston Martin has been rebuilding after a poor start to the season, and this result proves the recent upgrades are having an effect. With a new chassis and an upgraded Honda engine now on board, the team is no longer the slowest on the grid — and Alonso showed that a bold strategy call can still yield rewards even when the car lacks raw pace.

The details:

• Alonso ran 34 laps on soft tyres before pitting for hards, while most of the field stopped at least twice.
• He admitted the one-stop wasn't planned: "The plan was two stops and to go more conventional. But we need to sometimes deviate a little bit from what is normal."
• Traffic trouble: Alonso explained that getting stuck behind slower cars on straights hurt him, so he chose to stay out for clean air and make the overcut work.
• When asked how he managed it, he replied: "I'm a very good driver."
• Upgrade path: Aston Martin brought a revised chassis to Budapest and an upgraded engine to Zandvoort. Alonso said the team is "optimising the chassis side" and extracting more from the new parts.
• Still work to do: He struggled with driveability issues all weekend, including a straightline mode problem in sprint qualifying and ongoing engine braking inconsistency.

What's next:

Alonso expects Aston Martin to be "not competitive" at Monza's low-downforce layout, but he insists Zandvoort represented "another step forward." The team will keep pushing to understand the new package, with points finishes now a realistic target at circuits that suit the car.