​In Hungary next week, the final round before the summer break, Aston Martin will unveil a substantial upgrade package for the first time this season. The new components are designed mainly to address the weaknesses of the AMR26 chassis, while further improvements to the Honda engine are planned for after the summer break at the Dutch Grand Prix. The scope of this upgrade is so extensive that it could be described as a B-spec Aston Martin. The chassis, along with a lighter gearbox, has had to undergo FIA homologation tests again.
Asked on Thursday in the Spa paddock about the positives of the AMR26 in its current form, Lance Stroll did not mask his frustration: “We can only move forward, so that’s positive. Right now, it’s been pretty terrible. There’s nothing great, there’s nothing we like about our car, no strengths, so we can only get better.” The British Grand Prix highlighted the challenges Aston Martin faces. Numerous videos circulated on social media showing the Canadian engineer a fight with massive understeer, to the extent of turning the steering wheel to the stop in the fast Copse corner.
“We have entry instability and braking in medium-low speed, and then we deal with this kind of aero stalling, the front-to-floor and front-wing stalling, where we just completely wash out in high‑speed corners, so there are a few limitations,” Stroll explained. “Some of these aerodynamic stalls are very hard to see on the pressure taps and where they’re coming from. So I’m just trying to give the guys back in Silverstone a clearer sense of what we’re feeling in the car, what we’re experiencing,” he added, noting that it can be difficult to discern the root causes from data alone.
Aston Martin is counting heavily on the Hungary upgrade package. Returning to the anticipated Hungary improvements, Stroll outlined the technical goals: “We’re hoping to improve some of the characteristics, definitely more downforce, but we also want to address some of these long-standing aerodynamic issues to make a healthier, nicer-to-drive car.”
While the Honda power unit has traditionally appeared as Aston Martin’s main handicap, the team is also grappling with a pronounced downforce shortfall. When asked whether there is a connection between the lack of power and the car’s understeer, Stroll insisted that the issues are separate. “I think they’re two different issues,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do on drivability. We’re down on power, but we also have balance limits and a downforce deficit. We need to unlock substantially more downforce.”
Stroll added that Hungary represents the true test for Aston Martin. On a track where chassis performance can overshadow pure horsepower, Hungary will reveal whether the team’s latest upgrades translate into meaningful gains. The focus remains squarely on delivering a more driveable, more stable, and more aerodynamically balanced car that can extract performance from the chassis rather than relying solely on engine power. With the upgrade package in the pipeline, all eyes will be on how the AMR26 responds in practice and qualifying around the Hungaroring, a circuit that rewards chassis finesse and aero efficiency as much as raw horsepower.