F1 News: Adrian Newey magic continues as Aston Martin bring aero upgrades at Dutch Grand Prix

Aston Martin

Adrian Newey magic continues as Aston Martin bring aero upgrades at Dutch Grand Prix

More upgrades for Zandvoort after a major overhaul in Hungary

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Friday 21 August 2026 08:59

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Adrian Newey is hoping to continue working his magic at Aston Martin with the team set for new aero changes at the Dutch Grand Prix, alongside their new spec Honda power unit.

The first half of the F1 2026 was nothing short of a disaster for Aston Martin, struggling with both their car and power unit and scoring just a single point through the opening 11 rounds of the season.

However, a major upgrade package at the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of the summer break offered hope for the remainder of the year, with the changes instantly making the team more competitive.

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We already knew that another upgrade was on the way for Zandvoort, with Honda set to deliver their new spec engine after maxing out their development budget through the additional development and upgrade opportunities (ADUO) system.

Aston Martin set for aero changes at Dutch GP

Now, reports from the Netherlands suggest further changes are coming to the AMR26.

That is according to journalist Jorge Peiró, who claims that Aston Martin will introduce a couple of aero changes to their car for the event in Zandvoort, namely the floor and front wing.

It seems likely that these upgrades will be minor changes rather than significant upgrades, with Aston Martin having introduced a comprehensive upgrade to both their floor and front wing in Hungary ahead of the summer break.

These changes have been introduced off the back of their learnings in Budapest and the team's chief trackside officer Mike Krack says they will be a step forward.

Honda chief on power unit upgrade for Dutch GP

That step will be helped by that new-spec power unit, with Honda stating earlier this week that its introduction, combined with the aero upgrades from Budapest (and presumably the ones above), could see the team challenge for points for the rest of the season.

"Combining the more competitive AMR26 with the Honda Spec 2 power unit is expected to create a synergistic effect, giving the team the performance to join the midfield battle and compete for points," Honda said in its Dutch GP preview.

Honda also wrote: "The updated RA626H delivers increased power through improvements to the ICE (internal combustion engine), along with minor upgrades to the battery and other components.

"Honda has made maximum use of the development budget and bench-testing time made available through ADUO (Additional Development Upgrade Opportunities) to improve performance."

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