F1 | Aston Martin still on the back foot in Miami: when will the first major AMR26 upgrades arrive?
The long spring break has been a chance for teams to catch their breath after a demanding winter and analyse data from the first three races. In Aston Martin’s case, completing only 187 laps out of a possible 334 across the opening rounds has significantly limited the amount of information gathered, in what has been an extremely difficult start to the season—especially when comparing expectations with on-track reality.
In the opening three weekends, performance issues have been combined with reliability problems, and the highly anticipated AMR26 has unfortunately found itself alongside debutant Cadillac at the back of the grid. According to information gathered by the Italian media, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will have to wait a few more weeks before seeing major upgrades on the AMR26. However, the MAC-26 will receive some new components at the first of its three home-style races in Miami, along with a special livery.
Not just performance: Aston Martin and Cadillac at the back of the grid in other areas as well
From the Barcelona shakedown onwards, it became clear that closing the gap to Cadillac in terms of performance would be very difficult. At the moment, the American newcomer simply does not have the tools to fight with the established teams, as Team Principal Graeme Lowdon had already pointed out months ago.
Only a disastrous start to the season from Aston Martin and Honda has allowed the American outfit to have “company” in the early races and reduce the image damage that would have come from such a large performance gap to the rest of the field.
In the midfield chaos, early data shows that the AMR26 is a few tenths quicker than Cadillac in qualifying. However, the MAC-26 reverses this trend in race conditions, where—from Melbourne to Suzuka—its performance has shown steady improvement. Even so, these comparisons involve cars that are typically three to four seconds off the frontrunners, and more than a second behind the “worst of the rest”, Williams.
The 2025 season had brought the midfield much closer to the top teams, with gaps generally between five and seven tenths. The introduction of the new regulations has reversed that trend, and in the opening three races the gap has tripled, although it is expected to shrink as the season progresses.
The midfield itself is now more spread out, also due to the arrival of a new team, with more than two seconds separating the best and worst of the “rest”—a gap four times larger than last year. Pit stop data also highlights the struggles at the back of the grid, confirming a wider performance deficit across all areas.
Ferrari currently leads the pit stop rankings with a 2.38-second average, ahead of Mercedes (2.60) and McLaren (2.65). Aston Martin and Cadillac, by contrast, average over four and five seconds respectively (excluding anomalies), compared to a general field average slightly above three seconds, which is also higher than in previous seasons.
Aston Martin targets reduced vibrations in Miami: major aero upgrades come later
Even before the Australian Grand Prix, Adrian Newey indirectly highlighted the team’s situation, pointing to Honda when discussing performance limitations: “We are a bit behind the front-running teams, maybe we are the fifth team in terms of chassis performance. We could potentially qualify for Q3,” said the British engineer.
After three races, there is little doubt about the main reasons behind Aston Martin’s deficit to its rivals. According to Autoracer, the improvements introduced in Miami will focus mainly on chassis–power unit integration. The goal is to improve Japanese power unit reliability by reducing vibrations that have negatively affected all race weekends so far.
However, no significant performance gains are expected in Miami. The first major aerodynamic upgrades are instead scheduled for either Silverstone or Spa.
Power unit performance improvements will only become possible after the first ADUO period ends, with standings available after the Canadian Grand Prix for both Aston Martin and Cadillac.
In an interview with SB Nation, Graeme Lowdon confirmed the arrival of early developments: “We will bring some updates. This package will be one of the first steps we take to try to close the gap to the nearest team.”
The MAC-26 will also run a special livery for the Miami weekend.
As Frédéric Vasseur had already hinted before the break, the Miami Grand Prix marks the “start of a new championship”. Not only due to upgrade packages across the grid, but also because the new FIA regulations on electric energy deployment could shift performance dynamics.
Florida presents a power-limited circuit compared to Shanghai and Suzuka, and more similar to Melbourne. Miami also sits in the highest category for electric energy management difficulty, making comparisons with the opening round in Australia particularly valuable for evaluating the FIA’s recent regulatory changes.
On top of that, the Sprint format adds another challenge for teams and drivers in terms of optimisation. This is why the first and only free practice session has been extended from 60 to 90 minutes.
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