Aston Martin's 16 upgrades deliver best weekend of 2026; Alonso says 'new championship' starts

A season of struggle ends

Aston Martin arrived in Hungary having spent the first 10 races of 2026 at or near the back of the grid. The AMR26 had suffered from persistent vibrations, gearbox instability, and a lack of straight-line speed that left it behind even the newest teams. The team had entered the season with a new factory, cutting-edge design tools, and high expectations, but the early races delivered only disappointment. The Hungarian Grand Prix marked the debut of a 16-part upgrade package, the team's first major development step under technical director Adrian Newey. The changes included a revised chassis and aerodynamic concept, and the team also fitted a fresh power unit to Alonso's car on Saturday morning.

Immediate impact on track

The effect was immediate. Alonso reached Q2 for the first time this season, and both Aston Martins recorded their best grid positions of the year. In the race, the car's tyre degradation was the standout metric: Alonso completed 34 laps on a set of softs, more than any other driver. Nico Hulkenberg managed 33 laps on the same compound, while Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll each did 32. Alonso's fastest lap on that stint was a 1:27.186. The vibrations that had made the car almost undriveable in earlier rounds were, Alonso confirmed, completely solved for Saturday. The gearbox instability also disappeared. Stroll finished 13th and Alonso 14th; while Alonso's 10th place in Monaco remains the team's best numerical result of 2026, the Hungarian weekend was its strongest in terms of overall pace and consistency. Alonso also produced a notable overtake on Alpine's Franco Colapinto, diving down the inside at Turn 1.

Correlation confirmed

Newey said the weekend "confirmed that we are on the right development path, both short and long term."

“This weekend we have confirmed that we are on the right development path, both short and long term.”

Alonso stressed that the data from the wind tunnel and CFD simulations matched the on-track performance, meaning the upgrade direction is validated.

“The correlation is good and the performance improvements are evident. It's early for this completely new car, a new concept, so maybe there will be more to come in setup, optimization and so on.”

The AMR26B's pace in Hungary moved it clear of Cadillac, Williams, and Haas, and within half a second of Racing Bulls, the midfield reference.

Rivals react

Sergio Perez of Cadillac said the progress was "to be expected when they put everything together" and predicted Aston Martin would "soon be very competitive."

“I think it was to be expected that this would happen when they put everything together. Soon they will be very competitive.”

Carlos Sainz of Williams was blunt: "We have to simply do what Aston Martin has done." The comments reflected the rapid shift in competitive order that a successful upgrade can bring.

Alonso34

Hulkenberg33

Verstappen32

Stroll32

Alonso

34 laps

Hulkenberg

33 laps

Verstappen

32 laps

Stroll

32 laps

Data from the article text

Honda debut and next steps

The next race is the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on 23 August, where Aston Martin will introduce its new Honda power unit. The engine is expected to address the straight-line speed deficit that was painfully exposed at Spa, where the team's top-speed figures were among the worst. A filming day in Budapest on 29 July will give reserve driver Jak Crawford a first run with the Honda unit. Alonso said the second half of the season feels like "a new championship for us," and that the team now has "a good base on which to work."

“It's a new championship for us in the second part. We have a good base on which to work.”

Further upgrades are planned for Monza and Baku, and the team hopes to consolidate its position in the midfield and begin scoring points regularly.