Fernando Alonso has played down expectations surrounding Aston Martin’s major AMR26 upgrade at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, warning that “there is no package in the world” capable of immediately eliminating the team’s current deficit. The extensively revised car will effectively become a B-spec version of the AMR26, but Aston Martin must wait until Zandvoort for its upgraded Honda power unit.
Is Fernando Alonso simply keeping his feet on the ground? Is it pre-event gamesmanship, or genuine scepticism? That remains unclear. What is certain is that the Spaniard has already delivered a blunt assessment of the package Aston Martin has brought to the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
Fernando Alonso doubts the Aston Martin AMR26 upgrade can transform its position
Before the revised AMR26 had completed a single lap on track, with its first running scheduled across Friday’s two practice sessions, Fernando Alonso had already described the new components as insufficient to close the gap separating Aston Martin from the rest of the Formula 1 grid.
No miracle is expected, even though several midfield teams have expressed both curiosity and concern about the arrival of what amounts to a B-spec Aston Martin. The Silverstone-based team’s rivals are also continuing their own development programmes, with McLaren introducing a significant MCL40 upgrade package in Hungary.
Fernando Alonso’s uncompromising analysis begins with Aston Martin’s performance at Spa-Francorchamps, where the cars were more than two seconds behind the competitors immediately ahead. Those rivals were the Cadillacs driven by Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
The difference between Aston Martin and the American team had been less pronounced at the beginning of the season. However, unlike the AMR26, the Cadillac MAC-26 received almost constant updates and modifications during the first half of the campaign. Those developments gradually created a larger gap than the one seen during the opening weeks of the current Formula 1 season.
Fernando Alonso is therefore refusing to set an immediate positional target, regardless of Aston Martin’s place in the current Formula 1 driver standings.
“I am not focusing too much on numbers, positions or anything like that, because if we look at the last five races, we have had very different gaps to the midfield teams,” the two-time Formula 1 world champion explained.
“We have maintained a more or less consistent gap to pole position, which is obviously out of reach at the moment. However, there have been some particularly difficult circuits. Silverstone was challenging and Spa was probably one of the worst.”
“I think the driver ahead of us was 2.1 seconds in front. There is no package in the world that can give you that amount of time, and our position probably would not have changed even if we had taken the updated car to Spa a week earlier. That is the approach we need to have.”
Honda power unit upgrade will not arrive until Zandvoort
Aston Martin will be able to run its substantially revised car in Hungary, but it will still be equipped with the existing Honda power unit. That engine has faced severe criticism since pre-season testing in Bahrain because of its lack of power, as well as reliability and safety concerns. The vibrations that affected the cars during the opening Grands Prix were among the most visible early problems.
Budapest may nevertheless offer Aston Martin a more suitable opportunity to assess the upgraded chassis. Engine power is less decisive at the Hungaroring than it was at Spa, while the circuit’s slower and more technical characteristics could make it easier to isolate the effects of the new aerodynamic package. Similar characteristics have also shaped expectations surrounding Ferrari’s low-speed performance at the Hungaroring.
“The situation will change from circuit to circuit,” Fernando Alonso continued. “Hopefully, Budapest will be a more favourable track for us because engine power is not the most decisive aspect here. We will upgrade the car, but not the engine yet.”
Mercedes is among the leading teams expecting the Hungaroring to create a different competitive picture from Spa, with the team believing that the W17 can challenge Ferrari in Hungary. For Aston Martin, however, the priority is not immediately competing with the front-running teams but establishing whether its extensive development work has moved the AMR26 in the right direction.
Fernando Alonso wants proof Aston Martin is following the right path
Fernando Alonso stressed that the most important objective is not a dramatic improvement in the result at a single Grand Prix. Instead, Aston Martin must determine whether the new car provides a reliable foundation for future development and whether the team can finally begin unlocking the performance it believes is available.
“We therefore still have a deficit that we need to overcome,” Fernando Alonso said. “For me, it is more important to understand the direction the car is taking, whether we are following the right path and whether we can finally unlock its potential.”
That cautious approach reflects the scale of Aston Martin’s changes. Even if the new components produce a clear improvement, the team will need time to understand setup requirements, ride-height sensitivity and how the package behaves across different circuit characteristics.
Mike Krack lowers expectations for the AMR26 B-spec
Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer, has also attempted to reduce expectations surrounding the new package. Without extensive testing, the team must rely heavily on its simulation work and on the quality of the data collected during practice at the Hungaroring.
“We do not have winter testing available to conduct comparative runs,” Mike Krack explained. “That makes the quality of the data we collect and our ability to interpret the simulations correctly absolutely crucial.”
“We certainly do not expect to extract the full potential of the new package during the first practice session. We will have to learn how to manage it and how to get the most from it.”
Aston Martin’s Hungarian Grand Prix weekend will therefore be judged on more than its final position. The first objective is to establish whether the new AMR26 represents a genuine change of direction and whether its performance can be developed further once the upgraded Honda power unit arrives at Zandvoort.
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