The Hungaroring has provided the stage for the debut of Aston Martin’s long-awaited first AMR26 development package. The technical department coordinated by Adrian Newey has reworked several concepts while pushing other existing solutions to greater extremes, including the rear suspension.
The Silverstone team has not limited its work to aerodynamics. Changes have also been made to the chassis and cooling system, bringing the car closer to the regulatory minimum weight. The extensive package arrived after Aston Martin worked against the clock to complete its major Hungarian Grand Prix upgrade.
Aston Martin AMR26 upgrade brings a complete aerodynamic overhaul
Aston Martin’s work amounts to a comprehensive aerodynamic restructuring, extending from the front of the car all the way to the rear. The front wing introduced in Budapest features differently shaped profiles, altering the way the airflow is prepared before it interacts with the rest of the car.
The most obvious change is the nose, which is considerably slimmer than the previous version. Developing such a different shape will have required a new structural study to ensure that the component could pass Formula 1’s mandatory crash tests.
The British team has nevertheless retained the nose pylons on the second wing element. This means that active aerodynamics are limited to the final profile, following an arrangement similar to that used by Mercedes.
Further changes can be seen around the outer section of the endplates. These include a differently shaped vertical fence and a more steeply angled diveplane, the downward-facing flap that helps manage the turbulence generated by the front wheels.
The full scale of Aston Martin’s changes becomes particularly clear when examining the new floor, which remains the car’s most important aerodynamic component. Its inlet section is now considerably wider, allowing a greater volume of air to be channelled beneath the car.
Aston Martin had previously adopted a lower floor entrance. That solution allowed the team to shape the floor’s upper surface and use the vertical elements to maximise the outwash effect, pushing turbulent airflow away from the car.
The team has now moved towards a more conventional arrangement. However, it is surprising that only four flow fences are clearly visible at the floor entrance, raising the question of where the fifth element permitted by the regulations is positioned.
Changes have also been made to the bargeboards and other external aerodynamic elements in the same area, while the profile of the floor edge has been revised.
Rear suspension raised even further
Moving towards the rear of the car, Aston Martin has refined the airflow-conditioning sections ahead of the rear wheels without departing significantly from the design introduced at the beginning of the season.
The floor shaping is especially notable. Aston Martin has created a useful volume intended to generate outwash, guiding the airflow towards the openings positioned immediately ahead of the rear wheels.
Considerable work has also been carried out on the rear aerodynamics. The team has revised the wheel-assembly flaps, but the most significant attention has been given to the diffuser fences and strakes.
From the same viewpoint, the rearward upper suspension arm can be seen in a higher position. Raising this component frees additional space underneath it, helping the airflow move more cleanly along the sides of the gearbox.
Even on the original version of the AMR26, Aston Martin did not mount this arm directly to the gearbox casing. Instead, it was connected to the rear-wing pylons. That arrangement has allowed the team to change the mounting point without having to alter the suspension housing.
Aston Martin will now need to investigate whether the mechanical changes themselves played any role in the suspension failure suffered by Lance Stroll during the opening free practice session. The Hungaroring is, however, a particularly bumpy circuit, and no definitive cause had been established in the supplied information.
The rear wing is also new, both in the shape of its aerodynamic profiles and in the opening mechanism used for the active-aerodynamics system.
Changes beneath the AMR26 bodywork
There has been no comparable revolution in the overall bodywork concept. The AMR26’s sidepods remain raised above the floor, directing a considerable volume of air through the lower section and towards the gearbox area rather than using the carbon-fibre surfaces to force the airflow outwards.
The upper section of the engine cover is slightly different. This revision is partly influenced by the greater demands the Hungarian circuit places on the management of internal temperatures.
Beneath the bodywork, Aston Martin has also modified the cooling system, which had been the source of several difficulties during the opening part of the season.
Overall, the Silverstone operation hopes the package can also improve the performance of the Honda power unit. Greater grip and higher minimum cornering speeds should reduce the amount of energy required during acceleration, improving the overall management of the hybrid system.
The chassis improvements are intended to work alongside Honda’s next development step, although the manufacturer has already moved to clarify reports surrounding the scale of the planned Aston Martin power unit upgrade for Zandvoort.
Weight reduction provides Aston Martin’s other major gain
Aston Martin has never hidden the fact that work on the AMR26 project began late. One contributing factor was the delayed completion of the team’s new, privately owned wind tunnel during the previous year.
With the Budapest package, Aston Martin intends to make use of the deeper understanding of Formula 1’s new regulations that it has developed over recent months. The objective is to correct the car’s underlying concept and establish a stronger development direction.
The aerodynamic improvements are accompanied by gains from weight reduction, as the AMR26 being overweight was another major problem at the beginning of the season. The team had already outlined how its lighter AMR26 B-spec would combine revised aerodynamic surfaces with work on the chassis and gearbox.
This weight-saving programme also explains the introduction of a new chassis, which is expected to accommodate the updated Honda power unit from Zandvoort onwards.
Aston Martin hopes the Hungarian Grand Prix package will allow it to begin climbing back through the field. However, the team is also aware that reaching the front of Formula 1 will require considerably more time. Further developments from the Silverstone operation can be followed through the latest Aston Martin Formula 1 news and analysis.
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