Alonso looks ahead to Budapest: 'Will be strange to do that this year'

For Fernando Alonso, returning to the Hungaroring is always special. It was in 2003 that the Spaniard won his very first Grand Prix on this twisty track. This season, for the first time in years, he has a serious chance to win again, as a leading challenger to favourite Max Verstappen.

At Silverstone, Alonso and his Aston Martin team failed to impress. The Spaniard came no further than spot seven, while both Mercedes drivers - with whom Aston Martin is battling for second place in the constructors' championship - finished third and fifth. Nevertheless, Alonso looks back on the race in England with some satisfaction. "I think we extracted the maximum from a challenging weekend at Silverstone. It was great to be racing in front of the British fans and also to spend some time at the new Technology Campus," Alonso explained.

Alonso has good memories

On paper, the track in Hungary should suit the Spaniard and his Aston Martin better than Silverstone. "We now switch our focus to Budapest. I have many good memories of racing at the Hungaroring. I won my first ever race in Formula One in 2003, exactly 20 years ago, and it's often the venue where I have celebrated my birthday. It'll be strange to celebrate that this year in Belgium, but let’s hope we have something else to celebrate this weekend. Overtaking isn't easy here, but sometimes there are very strange races with unpredictable weather, so we have to be ready to capitalise and score as many points as possible."

Teammate Lance Stroll is also looking forward to the race in Hungary. "The Hungaroring is a super technical circuit with plenty of twists and turns; it's a very different challenge to Silverstone for both the cars and the drivers. Stylistically, it's more like a karting track with sequences of tight corners and only one real straight, so we're hopeful that it should suit the AMR23. Overtaking can be tough, so we'll be looking to find a good rhythm in the practice sessions to ensure we deliver a strong performance in Qualifying on Saturday. Budapest is a great city, and the fans always bring an incredible atmosphere, so I'm looking forward to racing there."