Adrian Newey reveals next Aston Martin F1 plan after mega upgrades in Hungary

Aston Martin

Adrian Newey reveals next Aston Martin F1 plan after mega upgrades in Hungary

Adrian Newey is charged with improving the competitiveness of Aston Martin

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 28 July 2026 08:14

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Adrian Newey revealed at the Hungarian Grand Prix when the next step forward will come for the Aston Martin team.

Aston Martin brought 16 upgrades to the Hungaroring in the hope of beginning to move forwards in the F1 pecking order, with the team having occupied the back row for much of the 2026 season so far.

After getting out of Q1 for the first time this season, Aston Martin finished a much improved 13th and 14th through Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso respectively in Budapest.

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Design legend Newey has been working hard behind the scenes on developing improvements to the AMR26 for much of the season, and it was clear in Hungary that they had got closer to their midfield rivals.

However, much of their performance and reliability concerns so far in 2026 have come from their Honda power unit, with Honda struggling with power output issues.

The team's two-phase plan to become a more competitive outfit once more involves upgrading Newey's initial chassis design, as well as bringing upgrades to Honda's power unit, helped by the FIA's additional development and upgrade opportunities (ADUO) scheme.

ADUO was brought in by the FIA to try and help struggling power unit manufacturers amid the new regulations, and it will be a lifeline throughout 2026 for Honda and Aston Martin.

Team principal and managing technical partner Newey has now explained that, and how it will help them to continue to build following their Hungarian GP upgrades.

Newey reveals Aston Martin's next upgrade package

Newey already revealed earlier in the weekend that more chassis upgrades would be coming in both Monza and Azerbaijan later in the season, but he remained positive that after the summer break, Aston Martin will be faster still.

Honda's next power unit upgrade will be coming at the Dutch GP, Newey revealed, the race immediately after the four-week summer break.

"I mean it's early days, so there's a rush to get it here," Newey told Sky Sports F1 via Martin Brundle's grid walk about their 16 Hungarian GP upgrades. "So the guys and girls at the factory did a fabulous job to get the two cars here.

"It's now about learning how to run this and so forth. We had so little prep time, and obviously with Lance losing most of Friday as well, didn't help.

"So, Honda will have an upgraded engine for Zandvoort. It's just matter of trying to move balls from here."

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F1 Aston Martin Adrian Newey Hungarian Grand Prix