Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack has outlined the team’s plan to claw back performance during the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The Silverstone-based outfit has endured a nightmarish start to 2026, collecting just one world championship point from the opening nine grand prix weekends.
Drivers Lance Stroll and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso have spent much of the season fighting at the back of the pack, hampered by both reliability and power output issues with their Honda power unit.
Simply finishing races has represented a measure of success for the team, highlighting just how far they currently sit behind the rest of the field.
The problems are not limited to the engine alone, with an F1 insider suggesting that even with the best power unit on the grid, Aston Martin would still be fighting the likes of Haas and Alpine.
The team has been relying on the FIA’s additional development and upgrade opportunities programme, known as ADUO, to help Honda close the gap to the leading power unit manufacturers.
Honda has received two homologations under the ADUO framework due to the size of their deficit to the best power unit on the grid, currently ruled to be the Red Bull-Ford effort.
Krack confirmed to Marca that a significant chassis upgrade is on its way, with Hungary identified as the target race for a major performance step on the AMR26.
“I think it was confirmed that there’s a big improvement in Hungary,” Krack told Marca. “And there’s an engine upgrade in the Netherlands.”
He added: “We’ll have to see. There’s some discussion about the cost cap. So we have to see what we can do next. But I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last update.”
Aston Martin currently find themselves in a direct fight with Cadillac to avoid the wooden spoon in the constructors’ championship, with Audi and Williams among those they are chasing ahead.
The pressure to deliver results is compounded by the fact that Alonso, 44, has yet to commit to the team beyond the current season, making rapid development progress a necessity.
Despite the team having signed design legend Adrian Newey ahead of the regulation overhaul, the AMR26 has failed to deliver the performance gains that had been anticipated heading into 2026.
With upgrades pencilled in for both Hungary and the Netherlands, Aston Martin will be hoping to demonstrate that their much-anticipated recovery is finally beginning to take shape.