After months of difficulties, Aston Martin has finally received praise thanks to its significant upgrades introduced in Hungary. Guenther Steiner hails a real turning point.
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Long the backmarker in the hierarchy at the start of the 2026 season, Aston Martin finally seems to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The British team took advantage of the Hungarian Grand Prix to introduce its first real upgrade package of the year, with immediate results.
These improvements did not go unnoticed by Guenther Steiner. The former Haas director believes Aston Martin finally deserves praise after months of criticism.
“They did a very good job”
Since the start of the season, Aston Martin promised a significant upgrade to its AMR26. This finally arrived at the last round before the summer break, where the team almost presented a completely revised car.
The result was immediate: the Silverstone team gained competitiveness and moved closer to the midfield.
Fernando Alonso notably reached Q2 before finishing fourteenth, just behind his teammate Lance Stroll, thirteenth. While points are still out of reach, Aston Martin has now taken the advantage over several direct competitors such as Williams, Haas, and Cadillac.
For Guenther Steiner, this progress deserves to be highlighted.
“They did a very good job. They gained about two seconds.”
“You can’t criticize them”
Even though Aston Martin is still far from the top positions, Steiner considers that the leap forward made is already a victory in itself.
“They are still outside the points, but they deserve credit. When you see where they came from and where they are today, you can’t criticize them anymore.”
The former Haas boss recalls that several teams regularly announce upgrades without managing to improve their performance.
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“Many teams say they are bringing novelties, but in the end it doesn’t work.”
In contrast, Aston Martin has managed to quickly transform its car.
“They almost built a new car in a very short time. Of course, it is not yet the level Aston Martin wants to reach, but at least they are finally getting a reward for their efforts.”
The arrival of the new Honda engine expected
Steiner believes this first step could be followed by further progress as soon as the championship resumes.
Honda is indeed set to introduce a major upgrade to its power unit at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.
The former executive sees in this combination of a deeply revised chassis and an improved engine one more reason to be optimistic.
“I think many people doubted that Aston Martin could come back. Yet, they did. And if the new Honda engine also brings a performance gain, it will help them even more.”
After an extremely difficult first half of the season, Aston Martin therefore seems to have finally found an encouraging direction. Now it remains to confirm this progress in the upcoming rounds and, why not, quickly get back to scoring points.
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