Fernando Alonso fumes about recurring Honda engine issue as Aston Martin debut new car in Hungary

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Fernando Alonso reported vibrations over the team radio during his first laps in Aston Martin’s B-spec AMR26 during FP1 at the Hungary Grand Prix.

The first practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend was somewhat of a rollercoaster for Aston Martin as Adrian Newey debuted a new-look AMR26 that featured a whopping 16 updates to their previous chassis.

While Fernando Alonso did manage to set the 13th fastest time of the session on the white-walled hard compound tyres, the first hour of practice was interrupted by Lance Stroll’s rear-left suspension breaking as he exited Turn 2.

The brief red flag period that ensued came after Alonso fumed to the Aston Martin pit wall that he was still suffering from a vibration issue on the Hungaroring’s 908-metre main straight.

• READ MORE: Charles Leclerc sets the pace in Hungarian GP FP1 as Aston Martin face issues after upgrades

Fernando Alonso fumes about vibration issues during FP1 at Hungarian GP

The AMR26 has been plagued by vibration issues with its Honda power unit for the entirety of the 2026 F1 season so far, with a recent report suggesting that engineers had no clue about the issue until they first fitted it in pre-season.

While Honda took the brunt of the blame for the oversight in development, team principal Newey also faced criticism for his decision to design such a rigid chassis that compounded the issue from the outset.

Is Fernando Alonso living in la la land, or do you still think Adrian Newey can lead Aston Martin to the very top?

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Aston Martin’s long-awaited debut of their first major upgrade package of the season was thought to stamp out previous issues, but Alonso was quick to report that things may not have changed in that regard during FP1 in Hungary.

The two-time F1 world champion told his race engineer, “Engine is vibrating on the main straight in seventh [gear],” indicating that the problem is still prevalent in the AMR26 at high speeds.

The 16 upgrades that Aston Martin brought with them to Hungary were all focused on the chassis itself, rather than Honda’s struggling power unit. An engine upgrade is expected at the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break, but Honda have already run into issues with it.

Engineers are struggling to ensure that the update complies with the regulations, with the fuel compression ratios entering the spotlight once again. Of course, the Sakura-based manufacturer still has a month before it debuts, suggesting a fix may come before then.

• READ MORE: Adrian Newey has already made a costly error with Aston Martin upgrade at Hungarian GP

‘Sources suggest’ Aston Martin fans will have to wait until the Spanish Grand Prix to ‘fairly’ judge AMR26 upgrades

Many may have hoped that Aston Martin’s changes would have been a case of plug-and-play, but the sentiments coming out of the British outfit’s garage indicate that there will need to be some sort of transitional period before the update’s true potential is showcased.

According to F1 journalist Thomas Maher, Aston Martin expects the Spanish Grand Prix in September to be a truer reflection of the AMR26’s pace.

He wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Important to remember that, despite the raft of changes, it’ll take a few weekends to get a clear picture of the step the team has made. Sources suggest it’ll be Madrid before this update can be fairly judged.”

That indicates Aston Martin will spend the race weekends in Zandvoort and Monza collecting further data on the best way to optimise the F1 car’s new package, before they hope to climb up the standings before the end of the current term.