After a bruising first 10 rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season, Aston Martin arrives at the Hungarian Grand Prix with its first major chassis upgrade — a comprehensive package that owner Lawrence Stroll, design chief Adrian Newey, and chief trackside officer Mike Krack hope will lift the Silverstone squad off the bottom of the timesheets.
The AMR26 has struggled badly since its striking launch at the Barcelona Shakedown in January. What George Russell called "probably the most standout in terms of the car design" has been anything but standout on track. At Spa-Francorchamps last weekend, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll qualified more than four seconds off the Q1 benchmark and nearly two seconds adrift of the next-slowest midfield runners.
"It was a painful decision," Newey admitted of the team's choice to shelve incremental updates and concentrate development firepower on a single large upgrade for Hungary. "While others have been adding performance, we've effectively been standing still in relative terms."
The upgrade itself is structural as well as aerodynamic. Newey confirmed that the team has taken significant weight out of both the chassis and gearbox, which required re-homologation and fresh crash-testing of the forward chassis. The front suspension carries over unchanged; the rear suspension has been slightly revised. A new nose and substantially revised aerodynamic surfaces complete the package.
"We're predicting a large step, but I'm reluctant to put specific numbers out there," Newey said. "We'll have to see when the car gets on track."
The target is modest but critical: simply to be able to race again. "For us, the most important thing is that we go back racing, because we have not over the last events — it was very difficult to keep up with the midfield," said Krack.
A secondary boost is expected at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, where Honda will introduce an upgraded power unit. Honda trackside general manager Shintaro Orihara noted that the early-season frustrations have strengthened the working relationship between Silverstone and Sakura.
Reserve driver Jak Crawford, who sampled the upgraded AMR26 in the simulator, told F1.com: "We're not expecting to blow everyone away, but I think it's a step in the right direction of what's to come for the next couple of years."
With Alonso yet to commit beyond 2026 — he indicated he will decide on his future around the summer break — and the team having scored just one point all season (Alonso's opportunistic Monaco haul), the Hungary upgrade represents a pivotal moment. If it fails to deliver a meaningful step toward the midfield, serious questions will follow about Newey's timeline, Krack's leadership, and the long-term viability of Lawrence Stroll's ambitious project.
Sources
- https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/whats-gone-into-aston-martins-hungary-upgrade-package-and-the-most-important-goal-theyve-set-for-it.6ndz5IfETBoVpLrpXPwYEt
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101549/1/why-aston-martins-f1-future-hinges-hungary-f1-upgrades
