Fernando Alonso reveals Aston Martin’s upgrade hope after miserable start to 2026

Fernando Alonso has said he hopes for the long-awaited Aston Martin upgrade package to put the team into the midfield at least.

Aston Martin has endured a difficult start to the 2026 regulatory era, along with power unit partners Honda, with the team sitting on a sole point for the season so far.

Fernando Alonso hopes Aston Martin upgrade sparks midfield fight

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Rather than bringing a larger amount of small incremental upgrades through the season, the team has opted to work on a single larger update to be applied to the AMR26 mid-season.

While the exact introduction date is not yet known, the suggestion will be that its new package will be placed onto the car either soon before or soon after the summer break.

With several races to go until then, the team will likely have to accept its current situation of being at the back of the field, but the double world champion hopes this new spec can put he and Lance Stroll into the midfield battle in one fell swoop.

Asked if Aston Martin’s upgrade package will be one to push the team forward or cross over into 2027, Alonso replied: “Well, both.

“It works into 2027 because definitely we need to improve our situation, but I think our hope is that the second part of the year will be a more competitive one, and we can start fighting in the midfield.

“Yes, that’s the aim.”

Aston Martin lapped a full second behind the nearest rival car in qualifying at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, before the team registered a double DNF on Sunday.

Stroll emphasised the importance of Adrian Newey at the top of the team in orchestrating a turnaround, and that eyes are already ahead to when the new parts arrive on the AMR26.

“That’s the battle we’re in right now until we have an upgrade,” Stroll told PlanetF1.com and others in Barcelona.

“We’re a team, so have people like Adrian, who didn’t join a long time ago, and Enrico [Cardile], they’re extremely talented people.

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“Adrian is the most successful person ever in Formula 1. So I think that just everybody’s waiting for the upgrade, and will it be enough to fight at the front where we were in even 2023 in these years? Maybe not, but it’s already a good step in the right direction, and then, in the future, I’m sure we can be very strong.”

Pressed on when the team’s upgrades will arrive, the Canadian replied: “As soon as we can. So, if it’s going to be just before the summer or just after, we’re pushing flat out, and we see when we can get it.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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