Aston's upgrade has come, but the emphasis is already on '26 - Alonso.

      "We will have a clearer understanding after the weekend."

      Fernando Alonso stated that Aston Martin has significantly redirected its attention towards 2026, even as the team rolls out what may be its last major upgrade for the current season. At Spa-Francorchamps, Aston introduced new components despite the condensed Sprint weekend format and predictions of rain, both of which restrict track time. The upgrade may not be used in the race depending on Friday’s sole practice session, but Alonso appreciated its early introduction.

      "First, I think the priority is to determine if the new parts are providing performance," he mentioned on Thursday. "It’s always challenging to assess that during a Sprint weekend with only one free practice session. The weather might not be assisting us in that regard. So, that’s our first priority. Then, yes, if possible, we aim to score points again this weekend."

      The experienced Spaniard acknowledged that he is unsure why the team decided to debut the package at Spa but suggested it might have been brought forward from a future race. "I believe the team is aiming to deploy the upgrades as soon as they are ready," Alonso noted. "This was likely planned for Budapest or later in the season, but they managed to bring it a bit earlier."

      "There’s no guarantee we will race with it if there isn’t enough time to test it. However, I think it’s positive that everyone at the factory is pushing to get the new parts as soon as possible."

      With the parc ferme regulations becoming less strict after the Sprint, Alonso mentioned that the team has "ample options" based on how Friday goes. "If we decide to race with it, we will have a better understanding after the weekend. If we can’t test it in FP1, we might choose not to use it for qualifying," he explained. "Additionally, I believe the parc ferme will be open after the Sprint race, so we could use the initial part of the weekend for testing and then race on Sunday with the best configuration."

      However, looking beyond this weekend, Alonso emphasized that the focus at Aston Martin, including the drivers, is already shifting towards the significant regulatory changes in 2026. "Honestly, I think around 80% of the focus is already on 2026, in a way," he said. "It’s not just the engineers and design team; the drivers are also thinking about it, except perhaps for the two McLaren drivers. I think not much will change in this year’s second part."