Alonso: Hopefully we can bounce back at Spa

Alonso's impressive run of six podiums in the 2023 Formula 1 season, ended in the eighth race of the season in Canada, with a second place following an upgrade package.

But after that, the Silverstone-based squad have failed to compete at the front of the F1 grid, as the likes of McLaren and Mercedes now fight for second-best status behind Red Bull.

Alonso finished ninth in the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend, he said: "We didn't have the easiest weekend in Budapest and ninth was the maximum from Sunday with three points in total collected for the team.

"Belgium is up next and we've had a few days to analyse everything from Hungary," he added in Aston Martin's preview of this weekend at Spa.

"It's a very different challenge here with the high-speed nature of this circuit and I've always enjoyed racing at Spa. It's a challenge we are looking forward to tackling though, and hopefully we can bounce back this weekend with a strong result.

"It's another Sprint weekend here, so we only have one practice session before Qualifying to get everything optimised, which is a test for all teams, especially with a mixed looking forecast.

"I'm looking forward to getting back in the cockpit of the AMR23 so soon after Budapest," he revealed.

Earlier, Alonso reflected on Aston Martin's recent loss of form; he explained: "We need to see many things, it's up to us to understand a little bit better what is the car doing now compared to the beginning of the season, how many upgrades we brought compared to our main competitors, and then understanding the new tyres the best. They're the same for everybody, so we just need to do a better job."

Following their impressive start of the 2023 F1 season, taking the fight to Red Bull, Aston Martin have dropped to third in Constructors' Championship, 39 points behind Mercedes, and only 17 points ahead of Ferrari who are fourth.