Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin and Red Bull have been adversely hit by a change in F1 tyre construction. The new construction was introduced at the British Grand Prix as Pirelli moved to address safety concerns, with the current generation of cars already reaching downforce levels forecasted for the end of the current season. Whilst the compounds have remained the same, the construction of the tyres has been made stiffer to ensure the rubber can meet the demands of high-speed cornering, though two-time champion Alonso believes there has been a shift in performance. Speaking after Max Verstappen missed out on pole position in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying, Alonso - who qualified eighth - told media including RacingNews365 : "It is a coincidence that when the new Pirelli tyres came in Silverstone there are a couple of teams that are struggling more, and a couple of teams that are very happy with the car now. “It's not only us, I think Red Bull has clearly been hit with those tyres, they've been one-two in every qualifying, one-two in every race, and now they are not even on pole position. “Checo [Perez] is struggling to be in the top 10. At Silverstone I think Max [Verstappen] was only three seconds in front of Lando [Norris in the race]. So I see things a little bit abnormal since Silverstone.”
On race day at the Hungaroring, Aston Martin was unable to make an impression on its rivals in the race for second in the Constructors' title as it finished ninth and 10th, courtesy of Alonso and a recovery drive from Lance Stroll. "We were not quick enough to challenge anyone in front and we didn't have any threats behind," explained Alonso. "So three points, ninth and 10th - the maximum. "We need to [look at] many things. "We have to understand what the car is doing now compared to the beginning of the season, how many upgrades we have brought compared to our main competitors and then understanding the new tyres the best. "They are the same for everybody, so we just need to do a better job."
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