Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey has announced that the team, struggling with a significant performance gap in the 2026 Formula 1 season, will launch a comprehensive upgrade package at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Hungarian GP, the final race before the summer break, has been chosen as the track for this update, which will determine the team's fate.
Technical scope of the package
Newey detailed the update in an Aston Martin UNCUT interview: While the chassis and transmission architecture remained fundamentally unchanged, weight was removed from both; this required re-homologation and crash testing of the front chassis. The front suspension was retained as is, while the rear suspension was partially revised. A new nose design was developed, and the aerodynamic surfaces were largely revamped. Newey described the goal of the package as getting as close to the weight limit as possible.
The team leader also acknowledged that the simulation tools had not yet reached the desired level of maturity: “We envision a big step forward; however, I don’t want to give concrete figures because our simulation tools don’t yet fully align with the real vehicle. Historically, this team hasn’t invested enough in engineering simulation tools, not just project management systems, but also the fundamental physics tools themselves. We are investing now, but it’s not possible to rewrite and validate these tools overnight,” he said.
Current situation and the driver's perspective.
Aston Martin has only managed to score one point this season, climbing just second to last in the manufacturers' championship. Last weekend, at the Austrian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso finished a full second behind Valtteri Bottas in qualifying, yet he still described his lap as a "good lap" and told his team, "we're closing in." While rival teams have been introducing incremental updates, Aston Martin has opted to wait for a larger, more comprehensive package; a decision that has had serious consequences over the past few months.
The future of Spanish driver Alonso has been questioned for weeks. While Alonso aims to clarify his situation before the summer break, he emphasizes that he has not given up on his goal of winning the championship, and that this could happen in a different role, even if not as a driver. Newey said the following on this matter: “Fernando is very curious about the update; if he shows the performance we expect, we want him in the cockpit next season as well. His experience, his feel for the car and his contribution to the development process are an incredible asset. However, he wants to see concrete and clear progress. If we can show him that, he is absolutely determined to be behind the wheel.”
Newey acknowledged that both drivers, including Lance Stroll, have occasionally voiced their frustrations to the press. “But that’s understandable; they have a racing spirit, they want to fight at the front,” he added. The momentum created by the big packages Ferrari and Red Bull have implemented this season is shaping Aston Martin’s expectations; however, for the team to even catch up to the midfield, this update needs to have a seismic impact.