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Alonso provides first take on Honda's upgraded power unit Aston Martin endured a disappointing Sprint Qualifying session at the Dutch Grand Prix after an encouraging start to the weekend suggested that the team's heavily upgraded Honda power unit could provide a significant step forward. The Silverstone-based outfit introduced a major Honda power unit upgrade for its AMR26 at Zandvoort, with hopes high after Fernando Alonso made noticeable progress through the field during the only practice session. However, the promising signs from FP1 failed to translate into Sprint Qualifying. Both Aston Martin drivers were eliminated in SQ1, with Alonso classified 22nd and Lance Stroll 19th. Alonso suffers disastrous SQ1Alonso's session was particularly difficult. The two-time world champion encountered driveability problems and experienced an issue with the car's Straight-Line Mode as the rear wing also failed to open as expected. The problems contributed to Alonso locking up and running wide through the gravel. He was then forced to attempt his qualifying lap on flat-spotted tyres, with the incident also raising concerns about possible floor damage. “Things seemed to go okay for us in Free Practice, but then we experienced some driveability issues in Sprint Qualifying and it was difficult to stop the car sometimes,” Alonso explained. The Spaniard also revealed that the rear wing malfunction cost him additional performance during the session. “The rear wing didn’t open for us either, so we lost lap time with that,” he said. Despite the difficult start, Alonso stressed that Aston Martin and Honda are still in the early stages of understanding the upgraded power unit package. “It’s very early days with Honda’s upgrade package, so we’ll try to understand more in the Sprint,” Alonso added. Alonso eventually recorded a 1:16.014, leaving him at the bottom of the Sprint Qualifying classification in 22nd place. Stroll also struggles for paceStroll's session was less dramatic but similarly disappointing. The Canadian was unable to extract enough performance from the AMR26 to progress into SQ2 and finished 19th with a 1:15.391. Like Alonso, Stroll reported difficulties with the car's driveability and believes Aston Martin needs to analyse the data carefully to understand what went wrong. “I think there was more there today,” Stroll said. “We were struggling with the driveability, and there were a few other things that weren’t quite right, so we need to understand why.” The strong winds at Zandvoort added another variable to the challenging conditions, although Stroll acknowledged that every team was facing the same weather. The Aston Martin driver now hopes the team can make meaningful changes before Saturday's Sprint. “It’s really windy out there, but it’s the same for everyone,” he said. “We’ll go through everything tonight, look at the data, and try to make some improvements for tomorrow,” Stroll concluded. Honda upgrade still needs to be understoodThe stark contrast between Aston Martin's practice pace and its Sprint Qualifying performance makes the team's opening day particularly difficult to assess. The upgraded Honda power unit appeared to offer considerable promise during FP1, raising expectations that Aston Martin could move closer to the midfield and potentially challenge for higher positions at Zandvoort. Instead, driveability problems, the Straight-Line Mode issue and the rear-wing malfunction left both drivers at the back of the field. With the Sprint providing another opportunity to gather information, Aston Martin's priority will be to understand whether Friday's struggles were primarily related to the car's setup and operational issues or whether the new Honda package requires further optimisation.