Fernando Alonso delivers brutal Aston Martin 'F1 is not an Academy' verdict

12:39, 29 Aug

Updated: 12:47, 29 Aug

byNorberto Mujica

In 2023 Aston Martin had its best F1 season so far, mainly due to their efforts at the start of the campaign. This momentum, however, dwindled and diluted as the year progressed and Fernando Alonso has targeted the reason behind the dip in form in a rather tough assessment.

From scoring consistent podiums to fighting to get out of Q1 in a great deal of races and being an average midfield contender, such has been Aston Martin's fall.

And despite their efforts the team had failed to dig their way out of the hole they were in, until their Imola upgrade package, that is, which seemed to give the British racing green-coloured outfit a new spring in its step.

The development progress saw, so far in 2025, the team score its best result of the year so far with a double points finish in P5 and P7 at the flag in Hungary.

It should never have happened. This is Formula 1, this is not an academy to test things. Here you have to deliver,

- Fernando Alonso

Formula 1 not a training environment, 'here you have to deliver'

Alonso, however, believes such a step back should never have happened, in statements to media such as GPblog at Circuit Zandvoort.

"I mean, you learn from mistakes and you learn from the things that didn't work," Alonso acknowledged.

"But I don't think it was a great thing to bring upgrades that didn’t deliver what we were expecting.

"That was some kind of mistake in the process of designing something, producing something and believing it would make the car faster.

"When those parts are not making the car faster, you need to undo some of the steps and know where the mistake was made.

"And as I said, even if we learn from that, it should never have happened. This is Formula 1, this is not an academy to test things. Here you have to deliver," the Spaniard severely concluded.