Adrian Newey reveals when Aston Martin will unleash huge F1 upgrade

Adrian Newey has revealed the first details of Aston Martin's much-anticipated huge F1 upgrade - due to be delivered in Hungary.

So far in 2026, Aston Martin has not delivered an upgrade to its AMR26 machine as the team works through the problems affecting the car, including concerns over the gearbox and the Honda power unit. 

The team, led by managing technical partner Newey, has long promised drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll a huge upgrade package prior to the summer break, with former Red Bull chief Newey detailing the plans. 

So big is the planned upgrade, the team have had to re-homologate and re-crash test the chassis, as Newey explained.

"We plan to introduce our upgrade in Hungary on both cars," Newey told the AstonMartinF1.com website.

"The main structural elements remain the same – the chassis and gearbox architecture don't fundamentally change – but we've taken weight out of both, which required re-homologating and crash testing the forward chassis.

"The front suspension is unchanged. The rear suspension is slightly revised. We've developed a new nose and substantially revised aerodynamic surfaces.

"So, while the core structure is similar, it's a big aerodynamic package coupled with significant weight reduction. The target is to get very close to the weight limit.

"We're predicting a large step, but I'm reluctant to put specific numbers out there because our simulation tools aren't yet as sophisticated or well correlated as they need to be.

"Historically, at this team, there hasn't been enough investment in engineering simulation tools – not just project management systems, but the core physics tools themselves. 

"We're putting that investment in now, but you don't rewrite and validate those tools overnight. Correlating them properly with the real car takes time.

"At the moment, they're improving, but the real gains from that work will come later in the year."