Aston Martin "flat out" on Hungary updates but has concerns over spare parts being ready
by Jake Boxall-Legge · AutosportAston Martin's keenly anticipated 2026 updates will arrive at the next race
Aston Martin's planned Formula 1 upgrade package for Hungary has been a "big undertaking" for the team, according to chief trackside officer Mike Krack, who hopes to have both cars ready in time with the new parts.
The Silverstone squad has endured a dismal start to 2026, with the sole highlight being Fernando Alonso's point in Monaco where Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez both received time penalties to cost them top-10 finishes.
Chiefly, the interface between the Honda engine and the chassis has been a significant drawback. Vibration issues and battery failures led to the team putting its resources into fixing issues as they cropped up, and thus it elected not to pursue any performance upgrades until the key reliability issues were ironed out.
Instead, the team chose to delay any aero modifications until the final race before the summer, which has ultimately led to it falling around a second per lap behind Cadillac in qualifying.
Asked if Aston Martin had enough parts to kit both cars out for Hungary, Krack replied that this was the "one million dollar question" - but was confident that the team's production staff could deliver the goods - but was less sure about having enough spare parts.
"Everybody works flat out to get the parts, to get the cars ready. It's a big undertaking if you decide to do it like that," Krack said.
"You always try to push the deadlines as far as you can. So it's a big effort going on at AMRTC at the moment. And I'm a positive thinker.
"So, I think we will have two cars ready to go. I don't think we will have five spares of each, to be honest."
Even if some parts were not ready in time, Krack said that the upgrades would not be "dependent on one part" and that it had plans in place to press on regardless.
He added that the team was most looking forward to being able to race against its fellow teams once more, having effectively spent the season on its lonesome at the back of the field, but was keen to manage expectations over the performance gain of the new aero parts.
"You always have to put scenarios in place. If you have this and not this. Because you cannot make yourself dependent on one part missing and then you cannot do it," the Luxembourger added.
"So, there is plans in place. What if we don't have that? Can we run this? Again, you will not have the full backup for everything.
"But I think everybody has done a good job in trying to put mitigations in place. But also have plans in place if one or two components don't make it.
"I think we need to be careful with expectations. We are quite far away from the front, but also from the midfield. So I think we have to put the car on the ground in Hungary.
"First, we have to see that we have everything. Because the schedules are tight, we must not forget that. And then we see where we are.
"The most important for all of us is that we go back racing. That is really important for us as a team. And that is what we are aiming for. And then we see where we will end up. It will be difficult to make predictions. Because as you know, every circuit is different.
"Sometimes you have some weaknesses exposed. Sometimes you have more strength exposed. So it will vary throughout the season. But we are looking forward to improve the car and see where we get."
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