The first half of the Formula One season has been a nightmare for the British manufacturers. After 11 rounds, Aston Martin found themselves 10th in the constructors championship with just one point, ahead of F1 debutants Cadillac, who are at yet to open their account.
Their drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, have spent much of the year fighting to escape Q1, while their races have become data-collecting hubs and practices in damage limitation rather than fighting for the points.
Engine reliability, vibration issues, aerodynamic deficiencies and lack of both cornering and straight-line pace have seen a fresh start for the team come to a crashing end. However, these struggles are not only a problem of Team Principal Adrian Newey’s.
Rather than chasing small gains throughout the opening races, Aston Martin made the deliberate decision to delay its first major development package until the Hungarian Grand Prix. In Spa the previous week, the Aston Martins found themselves dead last in qualifying, but a front wing upgrade gave them the jump they needed at the Hungaroring.
Beating both Cadillacs and both Williams in qualifying, Stroll and Alonso were able to see substantial increase in pace during the race, finishing 13th and 14th respectively. The team had brought in an overwhelming 16 new and separate upgrades to the car, making it the largest package any team on the grid introduced so far in the 2026 F1 season.
This is just the start.
“I think we came here and we said the main objective is to go back racing,” Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack told F1TV. “I think we achieved that. The upgrade package works, and now we need to bring the next steps.”
Their collaboration with Honda seems to be finally paying off as the Japanese engine manufacturers are planning to bring a revised power unit to Zandvoort for the next Grand Prix as the team works on new aero packages. New chassis upgrades will also come into development by the time the race weekend at Monza rolls around and the AMR26 looks to become a midfield contender.
The upcoming summer break could therefore become the most important fortnight of Aston Martin’s entire campaign.
“I think it’s not a secret that we’ve had issues in the beginning of the year,” said Krack.
“And you don’t only look at the performance development, but you also look at the reliability. Because no performance in the world will help you if the car breaks down.”
But after spending months trapped at the back of the grid, Aston Martin finally have something they have lacked for much of the season – a direction.
Whether that direction ultimately leads back towards the front of Formula 1 may define not only the remainder of 2026, but the success of the Adrian Newey project itself.
F1 Standings
Constructors
1. Mercedes 379
2. Ferrari 307
3. McLaren 220
4. Red Bull 177
5. Racing Bulls 66
6. Alpine 61
7. Haas 21
8. Audi 12
9. Williams 11
10. Aston Martin 1
11. Cadillac 0