Martin Brundle issues verdict on Aston Martin’s upgrades after what he saw from trackside in Hungary

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Martin Brundle has issued a verdict on Aston Martin’s new-look AMR26 after the Silverstone-based team brought 16 new upgrades to the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Hungarian Grand Prix has been earmarked in the calendar of Aston Martin fans for months now, after it became clear that Adrian Newey would be using the race weekend in Budapest to introduce the AMR26’s first major upgrade package.

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The 16 new updates cover pretty much every facet of the chassis, with the redesigns aiming to increase the car’s aerodynamic efficiency while also bringing the overall weight limit down towards the FIA’s minimum guidelines.

Despite some engine vibration niggles for Fernando Alonso and a rear-left suspension failure for Lance Stroll in FP1, the Spaniard managed to clock in the 13th fastest time of the session, indicating that the upgrades have, in fact, produced an uptick in performance.

• READ MORE: Hungarian Grand Prix 2026: How to watch, F1 race and qualifying start times, and weather forecast

Martin Brundle says Aston Martin’s new-look AMR26 ‘looked good’ from trackside in Hungary

During Sky Sports F1’s coverage of FP2 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, pundit Martin Brundle took a trip to Turn 4 to get a closer look at Newey’s latest creation as Alonso and Stroll continued to collect more valuable data in the AMR26’s new trim.

The 67-year-old was immediately impressed with the balance of the F1 car, which had previously been notorious for remarkably giving its drivers both oversteer and understeer at the same time.

“Aston Martin through there,” Brundle began as Stroll flew through Turn 4 (12:08 24/07). “That’s the first time I’ve seen it in anger with all of its new bodywork on, and it looked good.

“It looked solid, the Aston through there. It looked quite balanced; it wasn’t moving around too much.”

Alonso took the chequered flag in FP2 with the 19th fastest time of the session, with Stroll unable to get out on track due to engineers not being able to repair the car in time. The two-time world champion was 2.990s off Lewis Hamilton’s benchmark.

• READ MORE: Adrian Newey had to change Aston Martin’s ‘whole car’ because Honda engine didn’t ‘fit’

While the early forecasts suggest Aston Martin have finally delivered on their long-promised upgrades, sources from the team believe the Spanish Grand Prix will be a fairer reflection of the AMR26’s true performance.

Alonso and Stroll will receive another boost at the Dutch Grand Prix following the conclusion of the summer break, with Honda currently planning to bring their first engine upgrade from the FIA’s ADUO initative to the sand dunes of Zandvoort.