Aston Martin’s upgrades lead F1 Hungarian Grand Prix storylines

The Formula 1 grid will roar to life one final time this weekend, ahead of the annual August shutdown.

Before the sport goes on a mandated hiatus, in place to help the teams and drivers reset ahead of the final push to the end of the schedule — and the holiday season sprint to the next season — the grid heads to the Hungaroring for this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Here are the storylines we’re looking forward to this weekend.

It has been, to put it bluntly, a dismal season for Aston Martin.

The year began with questions over whether Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso would even participate in the Australian Grand Prix, as power unit vibrations were too intense for the drivers to handle over a race distance. The team used that race as a glorified testing session, with Alonso completing just 21 laps and Stroll 43, after several pit stops.

But while other teams brought regular upgrades throughout the season to date, Aston Martin circled the Hungarian Grand Prix for a massive upgrade package, one they hope will pull the team up from the back of the grid.

Engineering wizard Adrian Newey outlined what the upgrade contains, including a focus on lowering the weight of the AMR26.

”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,” said Newey to the official F1 channel.

“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.”

As far as the team’s expectations for the upgrade?

They simply want to be able to race again.

“For us, the most important is that we go back racing, because we have not over the last events – it was very difficult to keep up with the midfield,” said Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack. “Whatever it’s going to bring, I think going racing is most important for everyone.

“I think the period that we had with no upgrades for very long is now over, so it looks good for the future, and we are just all looking forward to Budapest and seeing what we have.”

This has absolutely, positively, not been the Summer of George.

When the 2026 F1 season began there were huge expectations at Mercedes, with good reason. The worst-kept secret in the paddock all last year was that the Silver Arrows would be on the front foot when the new regulations arrived, and with that belief came the idea that a Mercedes driver would be at the top of the standings when the dust settled.

While that has largely played out to form — Mercedes currently enjoys a 73-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship standings ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix — and it is a Mercedes driver atop the Drivers’ Standings, that is young Kimi Antonelli, and not the veteran George Russell despite those pre-season expectations.

Russell seemed to get back in the fight in recent weeks, thanks to a win at the Austrian Grand Prix and a P2 at the British Grand Prix, on a weekend where Antonelli finished outside of the points. But any momentum on Russell’s part was blunted under the harshest of conditions at the Belgian Grand Prix, when his race ended on the opening lap after contact with Lewis Hamilton at the Les Combes chicane.

Add in Antonelli’s win at Spa, and Russell now finds himself sitting third in the standings, 50 points behind Antonelli and five points behind former teammate Hamilton.

The Mercedes driver vowed to get back up following the Belgian Grand Prix:

Now we see if he can.

Lewis Hamilton’s win at the Spanish Grand Prix ignited thoughts of the seven-time champion making a charge of his own, and there is reason to believe that he and Ferrari could be on friendly footing at the Hungaroring.

Ferrari leadership believes that the SF26 is best suited to tracks like this weekend’s, where power and straight-line speed takes a backseat to the lower-speed corners like the grid will see at the Hungaroring. And McLaren boss Andrea Stella already tapped the Scuderia as the favorites ahead of the weekend.

“I think in Hungary, the Netherlands we will see the Ferrari being back to probably being the fastest car we see in the corners there. Extremely competitive,” Stella told Sky Sports F1.

Ferrari took a step forward at the Belgian Grand Prix as Charles Leclerc challenged Antonelli for the win before ultimately finishing second. That could bode well for the team at other tracks, but with the strength in the corners Ferrari has shown earlier this season, they might very well be the team to beat in Hungary.

The August shutdown gives the teams and drivers a chance to reset before the final push to the season-ending race at Yas Marina.

But it often marks the true kickoff to the driver transfer market.

As we discussed last week, rumors over Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull remain the dominant talking point in the paddock, but there are several other teams and drivers wondering how the pieces will fit together for the 2027 F1 season.

One driver to watch is Esteban Ocon at Haas. He returns to Hungary, the site of his one Grand Prix victory in the sport, facing an uncertain future at Haas. While no decision has been made about his future with the team, Ocon has been outscored 18-3 by teammate Oliver Bearman this season.

Bearman’s position at Haas remains secure, given that any notion of a move to Ferrari is blocked for the moment by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. (Haas and Ferrari are technical partners, Bearman came through the Ferrari Driver Academy, and has long been pegged for a move to Ferrari in the future). But with Ocon lagging behind — and Bearman now more experienced — the team could look to a younger driver as a 2027 replacement. McLaren reserve Leonardo Fornaroli has emerged as an option, having won the Formula 3 title in 2024 and the Formula 2 title a year ago, but with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri blocking his path in Papaya, a move could be possible.

As we highlighted last week, SB Nation has unveiled a brand-new F1 Feed, a place for race fans to talk about the sport all year long.

We’ll be putting more of an emphasis on the F1 Feed starting this week, with some big stuff planned for after the August shutdown. So get signed up and join in the fun!