– Aston Martin is bringing the long-awaited B-spec update for the AMR26 to the track this weekend at the Hungaroring. After an extremely difficult start to the season with massive performance problems and development concerns from engine partner Honda, the Silverstone team is now taking a drastic step.
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A complete overhaul of the aerodynamics and a significant weight reduction are intended to finally lift the racing team out of the Formula 1 cellar. Wild speculation about the extent of the improvements is already circulating in the Budapest paddock.
Some observers believe the heavily revised package could deliver a time jump of more than two seconds per lap – a quantum leap that would be absolutely necessary to leave the last row of the grid and seriously threaten Cadillac in the standings.
So far, the two racing teams were worlds apart on the stopwatch. In qualifying at Silverstone, the fastest Cadillac was still 1.6 seconds faster than the best Aston Martin, and in Spa-Francorchamps, the gap was even 2.4 seconds, with the performance deficit of the Honda engine artificially widening the gap there.
Perez warns: “We will close the gap”
Therefore, alarm bells are ringing among the US competition ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Cadillac driver Sergio Perez firmly expects the British B-spec car to make up ground. On Thursday, the Mexican expressed concern about the prospect of being caught or even overtaken by Aston Martin in the balance of power.
“Definitely. I think they will develop strongly, they are obviously a very strong team,” Perez analyzed the situation on media Thursday. “We expect them to close the gap and move forward.”
His teammate Valtteri Bottas is torn regarding the performance of the revised rival. Ahead of the first practice sessions in Budapest, the Finn oscillates between great curiosity and a certain awe of what Aston Martin could conjure up on the asphalt this weekend.
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Rumor mill is buzzing: Only the suspension remains old?
“There are an extreme number of rumors. Most say it will be a huge step for them. But as always, we’ll only see where they stand when the car hits the track,” Bottas explains. “One rumor I heard even says: The only thing on the car that is still identical to the previous racer is the front suspension. Everything else is completely new. So let’s see.”
For the experienced Finn, this radical rebuild brings a mixed emotional state: “I’m absolutely curious about it, but at the same time, in a way, I’m also a little scared. If they make such a gigantic step, we’ll suddenly be at the very back. But in the end, we just have to concentrate on our own work and not waste any energy on that.”
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But how much truth is there really behind the extreme speculations surrounding Fernando Alonso’s and Lance Stroll’s machinery? Aston Martin’s Head of Trackside Performance, Mike Krack, immediately endeavors to relativize the drastic rumors in the paddock and manage expectations.
Mike Krack dampens expectations: Patience is required
However, the competitors’ concerns are not entirely unfounded: Krack confirms that the racing team is by no means making only minor changes. To make the AMR26 competitive, Aston Martin is bringing a completely new, significantly lighter chassis to Budapest, which is intended to harmonize perfectly with the new aerodynamic parts.
“The update is a significant aerodynamic upgrade in combination with a significant weight reduction,” Krack explains in the paddock. At the same time, however, he warns against the idea that Aston Martin can immediately unleash the new performance at the push of a button.
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“When you bring such substantial upgrades, the trackside team must learn to understand them as quickly as possible,” he emphasizes. “That places an extreme amount of weight on the quality of your data and the understanding of your simulations. But we by no means expect to get everything out of it on the first run tomorrow. We have to learn how to handle it and get the best out of the package. That will take some time.”
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