Alonso Offers Reasons for Cautious Optimism

Fernando Alonso left the first day of work at Montmeló with a smile, whether due to the setting, the fact that Aston Martin's updates are working, or simply because logic must prevail. The crowd that endured the heat, more intense than expected, at the Barcelona circuit enjoyed a day where it was clear that changes to the wings and increased scrutiny on their flexibility did not significantly alter the current 'status quo'.

Seeing Oscar Piastri at the top of the timesheets at the Spanish GP should not surprise anyone. Perhaps the margin with which he achieved it, nearly three-tenths over George Russell, whose Mercedes debuted a significant package of updates, is noteworthy. These updates, along with those already installed in Imola two races ago, aim to elevate them to the top tier and compete directly, though not necessarily with Max Verstappen, who finished third with exactly the same time as Lando Norris, who was too far from the race lead.

It was a Friday where many drivers focused on adjusting to the updates and evolutions that teams brought to this circuit. The Montmeló track is one of the most suitable - it's no coincidence that it's a key argument for its continuity - to test whether the technicians have chosen the right parts for the future. Thus, fans repeatedly saw from the stands how the cars kicked up dust when they went off track... even if it wasn't their fault.

However, fans will undoubtedly remember this Friday for one of the radio messages that demonstrate that the incisive Fernando Alonso is back in action. It happened at the end of the second practice session. Lance Stroll was on the home straight when he encountered Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari driver, who didn't get past a more than disappointing 11th place - the flexibility of the SF25's wings will cost them - made a poor move that not only affected Stroll but also Fernando Alonso, who didn't hold back. "We already have the hero of the day. The advantage is that the weekend is long, and so is the championship," Alonso warned.

The reality is that Aston Martin is currently not even close to the top tier where Ferrari, with more struggle than they would like, usually competes. Hamilton is struggling immensely to adapt to the Scuderia, where many still miss Alonso, whose last Formula 1 victory was here in 2013, dressed in red. If Aston Martin makes the leap forward they hope for, with a bit of luck and precision, the on-track battle between Alonso and Hamilton, old wolves tired of taking jabs from afar, may intensify.

While the Montmeló ambassador left a good impression with a final seventh place, the other Spaniard on track, Carlos Sainz, seemed completely out of place. He warned on Thursday that the FW47 does not adapt well to Montmeló, and he made it clear in Friday's practice. A poor 14th place does not meet the expectations set for his result here, as the task for the drivers and technicians will be to try to mitigate these initial problems. Sainz does not hide: they are not where they wanted to be.

"For some reason, we still don't find much lap time and are in that battle towards the back of the midfield. I don't think we'll see performance like we did in Miami and Imola, even if we do a good job with the setup tonight. It seems we're a second off the pace on every lap we do here," lamented the Madrid native, also an ambassador but in this case for Montmeló's great 'enemy', Madring. We'll see if he can repeat Q3 this Saturday, where he has been in four of the last five Grands Prix.