F1 rival 'scared' of new Aston Martin upgrades

Aston Martin

F1 rival 'scared' of new Aston Martin upgrades

Williams believe Aston Martin will now be fighting with them

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 25 July 2026 15:57

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Williams F1 star Alex Albon has admitted he is 'scared' about Aston Martin's extensive upgrades.

Design legend Adrian Newey has been working hard on Aston Martin's AMR26 over the last few months and, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the team brought 16 upgrades to their car.

They're hoping that it will bring them closer to the midfield teams in 2026, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll largely having been occupying the back of the grid for much of 2026.

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The team have actually only scored one point all season, courtesy of Alonso at the Monaco Grand Prix back in June.

Now, Albon has suggested that, at the very least, Aston Martin look to be in a fight with his Williams team at the Hungarian GP, with the Grove-based outfit currently ninth in the constructors' championship, one position above Aston Martin.

Albon 'scared' by Aston Martin

It was unclear on Friday just how much of a step forward Aston Martin had made, with Stroll not able to compete in FP2 after suffering a suspected rear suspension issue in FP1.

"Aston has made a big leap forward, so it's very likely that, well, in many corners they'll be faster than us, although we're faster than them on the straights," Albon told media after Friday practice. "So it seems that, even in qualifying this weekend, Aston is definitely the team we have to try and beat.

"I haven't seen their race pace, but I imagine it will be quite good if they are able to take the corners well, so their Q1 is going to be quite a challenge."

He was then asked on F1TV if he was surprised by Aston Martin's performance, to which he said: "Generally, that's what scares me, because we haven't been able to do that for a long time, but yes, it was to be expected."

It is not the only upgrades that Aston Martin have planned over the coming months.

The Honda power unit that they have been so desperately struggling with is going to be upgraded in time for the Dutch GP after the summer break, while Newey revealed in the team principals' press conference at Hungary that more upgrades to the AMR26 were coming too.

Newey claimed that more upgrades would be available to Aston Martin at both the upcoming Italian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix, as they start to make inroads into their competitors' pace.