‘Aggressive’ Alonso scores first points of the season at ‘special’ home race

Fernando Alonso finally broke his 2025 points scoring duck as he finished ninth in Barcelona for his first top 10 of the season. The result wasn’t the only thing that sent the fans wild though, with the Spaniard having to be ultra-aggressive to climb through the field on Sunday.

Starting in the top 10, Alonso made things more difficult for himself with a trip through the gravel, which lost him a couple of places. He swiftly pitted for fresh tyres and came out last, any chance of points seemingly long gone.

But the Spaniard was patient, climbing back through the field and finding himself 13th when the Safety Car was brought in. On fresher tyres than those ahead, he scythed his way up to P10, picking off Liam Lawson on the penultimate lap and then inheriting ninth thanks to Max Verstappen’s penalty.

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 01: Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR25 — Alonso did not help himself on Sunday by running through the gravel

“I’m pleased, pleased for the fans as well that were very excited at the end, I saw the people standing up and things like that in the last few laps, so happy for them,” Alonso said.

“For us, the race was more difficult than anticipated, we were very slow on the straights. All the moves we had to be aggressive on Turn 3 on the outside, so not a normal overtaking place but it is what we had today. I definitely felt more comfortable on Saturday than Sunday.

“It was a little higher level of risk in this race because overtaking is difficult, following is difficult because it is killing the tyres, so we were aggressive.

«As I said, I was expecting a little bit more from the race pace but let’s take the points that we scored today and build the momentum from now on.”

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MAY 30: Fans of Fernando Alonso of Spain and Aston Martin F1 Team during — Alonso delivered points in front of an adoring home crowd in Spain

Alonso had been enduring his worst start to a season since his rookie 2001 year, having gone eight rounds without scoring. Some bad luck had played a part, with his DNF last time out in Monaco denying him an almost certain points finish.

But to break that streak on home soil was “special” according to the Spaniard – with this track the venue for his last F1 win, all the way back in 2013.

Aston Martin were fighting with just the one car in Barcelona, following Lance Stroll’s withdrawal on Saturday night on medical grounds.

“We missed Lance today and I wish him a quick recovery,” added Alonso.

Despite the Spaniard’s points, Aston Martin lost ground in the Teams’ Championship, with Isack Hadjar and Nico Hulkenberg both scoring big for their respective teams – leaving Aston Martin tied on 17-points with Kick Sauber.

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