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Aston Martin are banking on Adrian Newey’s B-spec car at the Hungarian Grand Prix to improve their fortunes in 2026. But he has already made a critical error – the same one he made in pre-season.
The upgraded AMR26 is the talk of the paddock at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. Having been up to five seconds off the pace this season, Aston Martin have brought almost an entirely new car to Budapest.
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The gearbox, floor, sidepod and rear have all been refined, with a further engine upgrade through ADUO being expected after the summer break at Zandvoort.
The exact effect of the extensive updates will be unknown until it hits the track, but Aston Martin’s preparations for the Hungarian GP are eerily similar to pre-season testing – and it was a complete disaster.
Aston Martin have made a critical error by rushing Adrian Newey’s upgrades for the Hungarian Grand Prix
Warning signs for Aston Martin’s 2026 season were clear when they turned up late to the Barcelona shakedown session in the winter. They had to rush the car to testing, and it showed on the track as they were miles off the pace.
In Bahrain, their deficit was clear, as the Honda power unit was desperately underpowered and unreliable. Lawrence Stroll was furious after seeing the AMR26, and things have only got worse for the team, with painfully slow times and retirements being common.
Aston Martin were slower than GT3 at the Belgian GP. They have not updated the car at all until this weekend in Hungary, and it is hoped that they will find dramatic improvements and start to fight.
However, Newey and Aston Martin have already made a critical error – like pre-season testing, everything has been rushed.
As various journalists and media outlets have reported, Aston Martin staff only left Silverstone on Tuesday, meaning, as per a report from the Italian edition of Motorsport.com, ‘all the material will arrive at the last minute.’
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It is hoped that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will both have the upgrades at Budapest, but Aston Martin are struggling to provide spare parts for the weekend. They are under increasing pressure to build the two cars, and it all sounds like a recipe for disaster.
The team have had no time to test the components, so there is no telling if they will actually work. Various reports have suggested that they will gain two seconds and 50 horsepower with the B-spec car, but if they cannot get the cars built, the updates will all be for nothing.
Everything Aston Martin are doing feels like a panic and a desperate attempt to find any kind of improvement. But rushing things will not get them anywhere – in fact, it could make things worse.
Honda have already found an issue with the upgrades, as Aston Martin are struggling to comply with the FIA’s fuel compression ratio limit. The warning signs are already there; poor preparation can lead to disastrous results.
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