Aston Martin's Upgrade Drought: No New Parts Until July as AMR26 Struggles

Aston Martin hasn't officially upgraded its Formula 1 car in the last two months, and likely won't do so until July at the earliest. The Adrian Newey-designed AMR26, Aston's first Honda-powered car, has been lacking performance and fighting newcomer Cadillac at the back of the field. With reliability troubles compounding the issues – though the situation has been improving – Fernando Alonso has spearheaded the effort with a best result of 16th in sprint qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix and 15th in both Miami races.

Why it matters:

For a team that finished fifth in the constructors' championship last season, this prolonged upgrade drought underscores the depth of Aston Martin's regression. Without meaningful improvements, the squad risks falling further behind midfield rivals and being trapped in a development cycle that prioritizes budget cap efficiency over immediate lap time.

The details:

• Alonso revealed after Miami that Aston wasn’t introducing upgrades until summer, a decision confirmed by team members in Montreal. The AMR26 is the only car unchanged relative to its Japanese GP specifications from March.
• Chief trackside officer Mike Krack said: “There are modifications on the car, but not the kind you expect from a big list of upgrades. These parts will come around the summer.”
• Lance Stroll added that an upgrade is planned for Spa (16-19 July) or Zandvoort (20-23 August), with Hungary in between. However, he admitted: “Is it going to be enough to fight for the front? No. These things don’t happen overnight.”
• Alonso explained the rationale: “The next car is one second in front, so even if we bring two-tenths every race, it doesn’t change our position – and it’s a huge stress on the budget cap. Until we have a 1.5 or two-second improvement, it's better not to press the button in production.”

Despite the lack of visible upgrades, the team showed progress in Montreal sprint qualifying, with Alonso advancing to SQ1 ahead of Audi’s Bortoleto, Haas’ Bearman, and Alpine’s Gasly.

What's next:

Aston’s first real upgrade package is expected around the Belgian Grand Prix in mid-July. While it won't launch the team into the midfield fight, it marks the beginning of a longer recovery. For now, the squad is managing frustration and focusing on incremental gains behind the scenes.