Why Aston Martin's F1 turnaround may be genuine despite Imola GP tyre gamble

A smart tyre choice helped Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll qualify a shock fifth and eighth for Imola's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Imola saw the introduction of Pirelli's new-for-2025 C6 compound, an even softer tyre than its C5, designed to spice up the action on street circuits and avoid one-stopping races. The C6 compound performed well in practice, but the designated medium tyre (C5) proved at least as quick, if not quicker, over one lap in qualifying, as well as being more consistent. Pirelli doesn't fully understand why this occurred.

This tyre situation benefited Aston Martin, who had strategically kept an extra set of medium tyres. Alonso and Stroll advanced to Q3 on mediums and then used another set to secure surprising fifth and eighth positions.

Aston Martin also brought a comprehensive upgrade package to Imola, which was applied to both cars by Saturday morning. Initial impressions were positive.

The question remains how much of Aston Martin's qualifying success was due to the tyre choice versus the upgrades, and how repeatable the performance is.

Alonso believes the upgrades played a significant role, stating the team is not in the situation they were in at the first race or Miami. He noted the times might be overly optimistic for the upgrade but it was definitely a step forward. He anticipates losing some positions in the race as the pace is not as good as P5.

Regarding the team's future, Alonso is happy to score points but is more focused on the potential under the 2026 regulations. He acknowledged past negative experiences with upgrades but felt this package was a clear step forward.