The expectation on Aston Martin's shoulders as it prepares to debut its Hungarian GP updates

It's been many a year since a Formula 1 team introduced a genuine "B-spec" chassis halfway through the season, to the point of including the tell-tale "B" designation in the chassis number. By my count, Force India was the last team to do it back in 2015, when it introduced the nostril-nosed VJM08B at the British Grand Prix and enjoyed a pretty consistent upturn in form.

In this situation, the 2021 "B" cars don't count; the financial implications of the pandemic delayed the ground-effect regs by a year, and instead the teams were locked into updating their 2020 cars on a token system to save a considerable amount of money. 

Red Bull and Williams added the "B" designation to their RB16 and FW43 respectively, McLaren added an "M" to signify that the Renault-powered MCL35 had been converted to fit the Mercedes power unit, while the rest proceeded as normal. Haas cheekily dubbed its 2021 challenger the VF-21, even though it was little more than the 2020 car with a different floor. Still, the team saved a significant amount of capital in not developing a new car, ensuring it could keep the same spare parts on hand for its infuriatingly crash-prone duo of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. 

Given the sheer quantity of changes expected from Aston Martin in Hungary, it would be a bit sad if the chassis didn't get the full B-spec treatment here. That the team has had to rehomologate parts of the chassis demonstrates the extent of the changes that the team will take to Hungary, in an effort to strip weight from the car and also rework the crash structures to fit the new aerodynamic package. 

If anyone from Aston Martin is reading this, could we could please refer to it as the AMR26B? I know it's a minor thing, but still...

It's probably fair to say that most of the Aston Martin team has been counting down the days to see its overhauled car in action. In fact, chief trackside officer Mike Krack used the phrase "counting down the days" twice in his post-Belgium media session, presumably sick to the back teeth of watching the green cars doing little more than exist. Even so, the Spa-Francorchamps weekend stretched the meaning of 'mere existence' to the limit as both Aston Martins fell over two seconds shy of the Cadillacs in Q1, representative of the widening gap between the two teams.

On the (late) arrival of its AMR26, Aston Martin very quickly surmised that pouring any resources into developments was going to be pointless. There were far more elementary problems that needed to be addressed, and plonking a new front wing into the equation was not going to produce a sudden turnaround in fortunes; first, the battery failures and vibrations needed to be addressed. 

It's been a struggle to get both Aston Martins to the finish this year, let alone off the back row

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Once these were mitigated and the car could do a full race distance, other issues started to appear: the gearbox kept losing sync, and the car showed poor driveability. Furthermore, the Honda power unit might have been a violation of the Trade Descriptions Act, as "power" was very much a debated quality; the Japanese brand will bring a new version to Zandvoort this August in the hope that it does, indeed, supply some degree of power output.

It very much made sense to keep the aero development rolling in the background, but give it a few extra months of cooking time to allow the flavours to develop. 

The package will arrive in several steps. The majority will arrive in Budapest, and Krack says that the team should have "everything we need" to update both cars with the new parts. After this, there will be additions after the summer in the hope that the car can keep improving. Although part of the rationale behind the updates is to rescue something from 2026, it also serves as a platform for 2027's car and gives the team a read on its updated processes and how its simulation tools correlate with six months' worth of extra iteration.

"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" Mike Krack

Krack says that, for the team, it is important that it can actually turn up to races and...well, race, which is rather telling of how difficult the situation has been at the Silverstone team's plush new factory.

"For us, the most important is that we go back racing," the Luxembourger explained. "Because we have not, over the last events. It was very difficult to keep up with the midfield. And whatever it's going to bring, I think going racing is the most important for everyone.

"We need to see what they bring. The period that we had now 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 see what we have.

"It's quite extensive. The main things are obviously aerodynamic and weight. And to achieve that, you have to do a lot of things - everything has been achieved that we wanted. It's part of the large package that we will get...and we are counting the days."

Krack is "counting the days" to the Hungarian Grand Prix

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Here's the thing a lot of people forget about F1. For all of the grand ambitions and declarations from management personnel, which often becomes tinged with hubris as the season unfurls in a less-than-desired manner, there's a 1000-strong contingent which lives and dies by those decisions. Success and disappointment are shared within each team; thousands of people a few miles down the road from Aston Martin will wake up on a Monday morning, having probably won the weekend's grand prix, and will skip into work in the hope of doing it all again. 

In Aston Martin's case, thousands of people have spent their year watching one of their cars limp to a race finish, albeit a lap down on the nearest car on track. When it happens repeatedly, motivation drops. The light at the end of the tunnel might be visible, but it's so far down that it feels like every step brings you no closer to it. 

Krack spoke about this in Barcelona, stating after the race that Aston Martin's predicament "is weighing on everyone. You can feel it. You can feel it in the garage. You can feel it especially with the drivers. It is a very difficult situation. But we have a strong leader, and the decision was made to upgrade [in Budapest].

"It is for all of us to commit to that decision, even if it is difficult. It is our job to keep the motivation high, and to learn as much as you can. It would be easy to say we just go in circles and wait for the upgrades, but some of the problems we have will still be there. We need to use the opportunities now to solve them."

The light presumably feels closer now. It's not certain what Budapest will bring to Aston Martin, but the team certainly needs a win and for a tangible step forward in performance. People work in F1 to compete, not to simply exist.

"This has been very tough for everyone for six months," Krack added in Belgium. "And I have to say, the level of professionalism, the focus and the resilience that the whole team brought to light together, together with our partners, in Sakura, in Silverstone, everybody involved - the drivers, let's not forget them. 

Alonso and Stroll have had to motivate the team - and themselves - in Aston Martin's tough start to 2026

Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / Getty Images

"I told you already in Shanghai that, for them, it's the most difficult. So, I think we really need to acknowledge that. [Journalists] have asked us [about progress] all the time. I have also to say, you were not aggressive with it, because I think we were open about the situation. But I think the level of professionalism, the focus and the resilience, for me, they stand out over these six months. Still, we're counting the days to Budapest."

It'll be fascinating to see what Aston Martin will turn up with in Hungary, if to see how much of an overhaul the AMR26 has taken. The widespread Barcelona shakedown assumptions seen on social media that the AMR26 would be good, simply because Adrian Newey was involved and it looked a bit different to the other cars, has long been forgotten. Few will make assumptions now; the only true measure of Aston Martin's next steps will be observed in seconds, not aesthetics. 

Krack spoke of the drivers' feeling the weight of the undelivered expectations but, if the car's good, they'll also need to step up and perform - for themselves but, most importantly, for the team toiling to turn around a tough situation.

It's been an uphill struggle for the team in green - but will its updates help it rise above its problems?

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images