Aston Martin are bracing for a significant upgrade package at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but insiders are urging fans to keep expectations firmly in check.
The Silverstone outfit has endured a deeply painful 2026 season, falling well short of the ambitious pre-season targets set when Adrian Newey joined as design chief.
A troubled new Honda power unit combined with chassis shortcomings has left Aston Martin unable to match even Cadillac, Formula 1’s newest constructor on the grid.
Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion widely considered one of the greatest drivers in history, qualified 22nd and last at the British Grand Prix, underlining the scale of the team’s crisis.
However, hope is building around a major upgrade package that Newey confirmed is scheduled to arrive at the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26.
The team deliberately bypassed smaller, incremental improvements in favour of one comprehensive and sweeping development push targeted at Hungary.
Newey explained that the upgrade addresses both aerodynamic performance and weight, noting: “We’ve developed a new nose and substantially revised aerodynamic surfaces. So, while the core structure is similar, it’s a big aerodynamic package coupled with significant weight reduction. The target is to get very close to the weight limit.”
He also confirmed changes to the rear suspension and chassis homologation, saying: “The main structural elements remain the same – the chassis and gearbox architecture don’t fundamentally change – but we’ve taken weight out of both, which required re-homologating and crash testing the forward chassis.”
Despite the scale of the planned upgrade, team ambassador and former F1 driver Pedro De La Rosa cautioned against excessive optimism when speaking with Spanish broadcaster DAZN at Silverstone.
De La Rosa was candid about the gap Aston Martin currently face, stating: “Part of my job is also to send a message of reassurance. We’re a long way off, we’re a long way off Cadillac. That’s the reality, that’s our reality.”
He acknowledged that the Hungary upgrade would represent a big step forward, but warned there remained too much uncertainty to make specific predictions about where the car would land in the competitive order.
De La Rosa said: “So yes, it’s going to be a big step. But because we’re so far behind, we don’t want to say where we think we’ll be, or where we want to be.”
A central priority for the team is giving Alonso and Lance Stroll a car capable of battling rival teams rather than simply racing each other throughout a grand prix weekend.
De La Rosa made the point directly: “For me, the most important thing is that we give Fernando and Lance a car they can fight with. Where they alone will really determine the outcome. But they can’t fight at the moment because they’re not in a fight with anyone.”
Beyond the technical challenges of 2026, Newey has also spoken openly about deeper systemic problems he discovered upon joining the team, with some issues traced back decades through the organisation’s history.
Newey revealed: “We were relying on tools and processes that had been patched and bodged for years – you could trace some of them right back to the very early days of the Jordan team that was based here in Silverstone, long before Aston Martin returned to the grid.”
He admitted that the cumulative effect of those legacy problems directly disrupted the car build process, explaining: “Parts weren’t being ordered at the right time – not because people weren’t doing their jobs, but because the underlying system was failing them.”
With Hungary fast approaching, all eyes will be on whether the upgrade finally marks the start of Aston Martin’s long-awaited recovery.