Formula 1 is a sport that thrives on development and advancements season after season, be it technologically, aerodynamically, or even commercially. And the 2023 season is no different. In fact, teams have developed so much that Pirelli—F1’s tire manufacturer—had to introduce tougher tires to cope. And, well, the new tires have worked out for some teams, but it looks like they haven’t for others. And Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin fall into the latter category.

When Pirelli decided to introduce the stronger tires at the British GP, it said the reason was that teams were already unlocking drastic downforce gains on par with what the company anticipated for the end of the season. And after teams ran the tires in Silverstone, most believed the tires didn’t affect the pecking order, but Fernando Alonso & Co. at Aston Martin thinks otherwise. Until the Canadian GP—two races before Silverstone—Aston Martin was at the top of its game, especially after its $145,600-worth of new upgrades in Montreal that featured a new floor and side pods. But coming to Austria and Silverstone, the team knew its AMR23, even with its new updates, wouldn’t perform too well, considering it suited to slow tracks. So Hungary should’ve ideally been a good track for it, but it wasn’t. And Alonso thinks it has something to do with the new tires.

As the struggles continue for Lawrence Stroll & Co., McLaren—which has become its direct competitor—seems to have benefitted from its upgrades and the new tires. After the Hungarian GP, where he finished 9th, Alonso said to motorsport.com, “We are one-tenth from McLaren, so it’s not as bad as maybe the result looks. Also, it is a coincidence that when the new Pirelli tires came in Silverstone, there are a couple of teams that were struggling more and a couple of teams that are very happy with the car now.”

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McLaren is evidently happy with its car, and F1 expert and journalist Peter Windsor seconded Alonso’s sentiment. In a live stream on his YouTube channel, Windsor said, “McLaren may magically have benefitted from these stiffer tires that Pirelli is now bringing to every race since Silverstone. Maybe they’ve hurt Aston Martin in a way that Aston Martin wouldn’t be able to quantify either because they have no information from Pirelli to be able to do that.” The tires are new for every team. Some have just adapted to them better. And Aston Martin isn’t one of them. The new tires seem to have hurt the team, and what should’ve been a good race weekend for it in Hungary turned into an underwhelming outing.

Fernando Alonso & Co. didn’t have anything to celebrate in Hungary

Until the Austrian GP, the Silverstone outfit was in contention for P2 in the championship. But with its bad run of form lately—which the new tires have most likely contributed to—Mercedes seems a little too far ahead. While coming into the Hungarian GP, Alonso was confident the team would perform well here, considering the AMR23 thrives in slow and medium-speed corners. 

While talking about his exploits in Budapest before the weekend, he said, “I have many good memories of racing at the Hungaroring. I won my first Formula One race in 2003, exactly 20 years ago, and it’s often where I celebrate my birthday. It will be strange to celebrate it this year in Belgium, but let’s hope we have something else to celebrate this weekend.”

While he hoped the car would go well at the track, he and Lance Stroll could only manage a P9 and a P10. Aston Martin just couldn’t find the pace it had in the early stages of the season. Whether it’s because other teams have developed better than it or if the tires played a major role, we’ll never know. But all Aston can do right now is focus on Belgium next weekend.

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Can Fernando Alonso & Co. bounce back at the Belgian GP?