Fernando Alonso's team radio after finding out he's in Q2 for the first time this season speaks volumes

Fernando Alonso's reaction to finding out he is in Q2 for the first time this season spoke volumes after Aston Martin's horror 2026 season.

The Lawrence Stroll-backed team have been at the back of the grid for the entirety of the season thus far, with concerns over whether they would even compete at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Team principal Adrian Newey predicted that neither Alonso nor team-mate Lance Stroll would be able to complete full race distances due to a lack of spare batteries and severe vibrations caused by the car's Honda engine.

Progress has been slow, with Aston Martin picking up just a single point through Alonso's 10th-placed finish at the Monaco Grand Prix.

But the team have been busy in the background preparing a host of upgrades for the Hungarian Grand Prix, with no fewer than 16 brand-new parts installed on both cars ahead of Friday practice.

There were concerns on Friday when Stroll suffered a suspension failure coming out of turn two, but Alonso described the car as 'much better' to drive in an interview with Sky Sports.

"A more predictable and easier car, but still a long way to go for us," Alonso said. "Obviously, this is only the first step."

On Saturday, the Spaniard made it into the second session of qualifying for the first time this season by finishing in 16th place. Team-mate Stroll was 20th.

Alonso was a tenth quicker than 17th-placed Haas driver Ollie Bearman, who was eliminated from qualifying.

As far as Alonso, a two-time world champion, was concerned, he congratulated his team before quickly turning his attention to the task ahead.

"Alright, good job," he told his race engineer. "Maybe a bit more to come from the next set [of tyres]. Let's go."

"Yep, let's go," his engineer replied.

During Q2, he was heard saying: "This is a car to drive."

He was inside the top 10 ahead of the final runs of the session, but ultimately dropped down to 16th place - albeit only under a tenth behind the other Haas car of Esteban Ocon.

What Alonso said about 'new' Aston Martin

"The car feels more glued to the ground," Alonso told reporters about how much differently the car is behaving. "Easier to drive to an extent, when you are in control of the grip in the corners.

"We need to find more performance both on the chassis but also on the engine now - Zandvoort will be a good test for us with the new engine. Step-by-step, but definitely in the right direction.

"It's more or less what we expected, which is the most encouraging thing. What we thought the new package would do to the car, it actually translates into reality on track, and that kind of correlation is what we need also for next year's project.

"I think there is a positive atmosphere in the team now."

Alonso, who turns 45 next week, is yet to make a decision on his future in Formula 1 beyond the end of the 2026 season - but the above comments will surely offer encouragement that he may well choose to stay with Aston Martin.