Aston Martin has completed the first track test of its upgraded Honda RA626H power unit, running the new engine during a 200-kilometre filming day at the Hungaroring. Third driver Jak Crawford was entrusted with the programme on demo tyres as the team evaluated the FIA-authorised developments before the complete package makes its Grand Prix debut at Zandvoort.
The Budapest test represented another important step in Aston Martin’s attempt to recover from a disastrous start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. Initial indications from the upgraded Honda engine appeared positive, particularly regarding the vibrations that had restricted its performance during the opening part of the campaign.
Aston Martin uses second filming day at the Hungaroring
Aston Martin remained at the Hungaroring after the Hungarian Grand Prix. While Franco Colapinto drove the Alpine A526 and Gabriel Bortoleto ran the Audi R26 during the second day of Pirelli testing for the development of the 2027 tyres, the Silverstone-based team moved on from its work on the previous day and used its second filming day of the season.
The original commercial purpose of the 200-kilometre filming-day allowance is gradually becoming less prominent. Teams increasingly use these opportunities to assess technical developments on track before introducing them at the following Grand Prix.
Ferrari followed that approach with its filming day at Monza on 22 April, when it approved the aerodynamic package that subsequently debuted at the Miami Grand Prix. Aston Martin adopted a similar strategy at the Hungarian circuit on Wednesday.
Honda engine upgrade joins Aston Martin’s AMR26 B-spec
The opportunity was particularly valuable because Aston Martin introduced the AMR26 B-spec at the previous weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. The extensively revised car featured changes developed by Adrian Newey in both the chassis and aerodynamic departments, forming the first stage of Aston Martin’s planned Budapest and Zandvoort upgrade programme.
The improvement was immediate. Fernando Alonso progressed beyond Q2 in qualifying before finishing 14th in the race, directly behind team-mate Lance Stroll. The result represented Lance Stroll’s best finish of the 2026 season.
An Alpine, both Haas cars, both Williams cars and the Cadillacs finished behind the two AMR26 B-spec machines, with Cadillac still dealing with serious reliability problems. However, the most eagerly anticipated event was Wednesday’s filming day, when Aston Martin installed the new Honda power unit featuring the developments permitted through Honda’s two ADUO tokens.
Jak Crawford evaluates upgraded Honda RA626H
The decision to give the functional test to American third driver Jak Crawford indicated that the priority was analysing the Honda RA626H rather than capturing promotional footage. Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll would otherwise have been the more likely choices to drive the car.
With data from the Hungarian Grand Prix available, Honda’s engineers and Aston Martin’s technical staff were able to make important comparisons with the AMR26 that had raced over the weekend. The analysis was inevitably limited by the regulation requiring teams to use demo tyres during filming days.
Nevertheless, the first indications appeared encouraging. The troublesome vibrations that had affected the beginning of Aston Martin’s season seem to have been eliminated following extensive work on the various components authorised by the FIA.
Aston Martin expects approximately 40 horsepower at Zandvoort
The developments should allow Aston Martin to access approximately 40 additional horsepower at Zandvoort, while the output used at the Hungaroring may have been lower. That increase would not be sufficient to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull, but it would still represent a meaningful step forward.
The improvement should give Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll a more consistent opportunity to compete for points. The upgraded power unit had already passed Honda’s dynamometer tests at Sakura before completing its first on-track running in Budapest.
Attention will now turn to the performance level Aston Martin can safely exploit at the Dutch Grand Prix, where the complete updated package is due to make its first race appearance. The event takes place at Zandvoort on 21–23 August, with the full 2026 Dutch Grand Prix schedule confirming a Sprint-format weekend for Formula 1’s return after the summer break.
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