Aston Martin expects to bring the AMR26 very close to Formula 1’s minimum weight at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, completing the final major performance-related programme planned for its 2026 car. From Baku onwards, the Silverstone team intends to race essentially the definitive specification of the AMR26 while shifting its development focus towards 2027.
The aerodynamic upgrades introduced during July and August have already brought Aston Martin a significant step forward, but weight reduction remains one of the final areas in which the current car can still gain lap time. Chief Technical Officer Enrico Cardile believes the work should be completed around Baku, giving Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll a lighter package for the remainder of the season.
Aston Martin targets F1 weight limit with final AMR26 changes
Formula 1 arrives in Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with Aston Martin preparing what should be the final evolution of the AMR26 for 2026. The team confirmed several weeks ago that the major aerodynamic developments introduced through the summer would be its last planned aero upgrades, leaving the weight-saving programme as the remaining area of work.
“We do still have our weight-saving programme to complete,” Enrico Cardile explained. “That should be done around Baku. From Baku onwards, we’ll essentially be running the final version of the car for the rest of the season.”
Aston Martin has not disclosed a precise figure for the total mass removed because the answer depends on which version of the car is used as the starting reference. Cardile nevertheless described the reduction as substantial enough to produce a meaningful improvement in performance.
“It depends on what you choose as your reference race, but it’s a significant number – enough to dramatically improve lap time.”
Cardile explains how Aston Martin removed weight from the AMR26
Reducing the weight of a Formula 1 car is not simply a matter of replacing a handful of components. According to Cardile, Aston Martin’s programme has combined relatively small changes with much more fundamental engineering work, including reconsidering how major structures were designed.
“That’s a major achievement. Sometimes it comes from changing individual parts. Other times, it means rethinking how something was engineered in the first place – even the chassis. It’s a mix of small details and big structural ideas.”
The objective is now to move the AMR26 extremely close to the FIA-mandated minimum, ensuring the team is no longer carrying unnecessary mass that directly costs lap time.
“In Baku, we should be very, very close to the weight limit, which is where you always want to be.”
No more planned aerodynamic upgrades after Zandvoort
Aston Martin’s larger performance programme has already effectively concluded. Following the major development work introduced during the summer, the team added smaller changes to the front wing and floor at Zandvoort.
“After Hungary, we brought a few small refinements – tweaks to the front wing and floor at Zandvoort. Those will be the last planned aero developments for this car.”
The improved AMR26 has allowed Aston Martin to take a step forward compared with the difficult opening phase of the season, while Honda has also been working to improve its new power unit. Recent development at Sakura has produced signs of further Honda engine progress, although Aston Martin’s chassis group is now increasingly looking beyond 2026.
Aston Martin switches development focus to 2027
Once the Baku weight-saving work is complete, Aston Martin does not currently intend to introduce any more dedicated AMR26 developments. The team will instead devote its resources to the 2027 car as it tries to build on what it has learned during its first season under the current technical regulations.
There is, however, one possible exception. If the engineers discover something during development of the 2027 car that could benefit from real-world running on the AMR26, Aston Martin could introduce an experimental part this season purely to gather correlation data.
“The only exception would be if, while we’re developing the 2027 car, we discover something that it makes sense to test on track this year to help our correlation. But as of now, nothing more is scheduled.”
That means Baku should mark the point at which the AMR26 effectively reaches its final specification. For Alonso and Stroll, the lighter car should provide one last direct performance gain for the remainder of 2026. For Aston Martin’s technical department, however, the larger priority is already becoming clear: use the lessons learned from an extensively developed AMR26 to arrive better prepared with its 2027 Formula 1 challenger.
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