Fernando Alonso was energised by the step forward made by Aston Martin during Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix as he came close to progressing to Q2, suggesting early signs of improvement.
The squad, joining forces with engine partner Honda for the first time, have not shied away from the troubles they’ve faced in the season so far – their pre-season tests were marred by limited running, as were the practice sessions at Albert Park.
Alonso was ruled out of FP1 due to a suspected power unit issue and tried to recover the lost time through FP2 and FP3, but the team’s mileage was nevertheless lower than that of their rivals.
The situation seemed much more positive for the Spaniard in Qualifying as he provisionally…