Fernando Alonso: "We have surprised ourselves at power tracks"

McLaren-Honda driver Fernando Alonso says that both McLaren and Honda have surprised eachother at the power sensitive tracks.

Ever since re-entering the sport in 2015, Honda's engine has lacked power compared to their competitors. However still lacking behind, Alonso thinks that great progress has been made and the team are on their way back to the top.

Formula One travels to Spa this weekend, a track notorious for long straights and low downforce settings. McLaren-Honda are expected to struggle through the weekend but Alonso is staying optimistic.

“Spa is an incredible circuit that definitely deserves its reputation as a legendary place to go racing,” the Spaniard said. “You have to have a strong package there, in terms of performance and reliability."

“More than 70 per cent of the lap is spent at full throttle, which will be a challenge in itself, but we’ve shown over the past few races that, even on the circuits that statistically should be difficult for us, we’ve worked hard and surprised ourselves with our level of performance relative to our competitors"

“It’s a long lap [at Spa], with two very high-speed sections and a twistier section, so we have to find the right balance between the two to get the best car set-up. We’re seeing good correlation between the data back at base and in the car on track, so I hope we can continue our momentum and get the maximum out of the weekend."

“This circuit is always a tough challenge for car and driver but if we can pull all the elements together we can enjoy a positive weekend. It won’t be an easy race, but as always we’ll be pushing for points as hard as we can."

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Date
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Bahrain
14 - Mar 16
Australia
21 - Mar 23
China
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Belgium
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Brazil
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28 - Nov 30
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2025

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
14 - Mar 16
Australia Albert Park
21 - Mar 23
4 - Apr 6
11 - Apr 13
18 - Apr 20
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
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United States of America Miami International Autodrome
16 - May 18
23 - May 25
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13 - Jun 15
27 - Jun 29
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1 - Aug 3
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17 - Oct 19
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
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7 - Nov 9
Brazil Interlagos
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United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
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  • Team Aston Martin
  • Points 620
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  • Grand Prix 191
  • Country ES
  • Date of b. Jul 29 1981 (44)
  • Place of b. Oviedo, ES
  • Weight 68 kg
  • Length 1.71 m
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