Aston Martin had a busy night before the start of the Formula 1 Hungarian GP activities. The team used its first curfew exception of the 2026 season to complete preparations for the eagerly awaited AMR26 update package.
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A document released by the FIA confirmed that team members involved in car operations remained at the Hungaroring during the fourteen-hour restriction period between Thursday night and Friday morning. Despite this, no penalty will be applied, as each team has five individual exceptions throughout the season.
The decision comes at an important time for Aston Martin, which arrived in Budapest with a largely revised car. The AMR26 received significant changes to its chassis, aerodynamics, and also weight reduction measures, in an attempt to reverse a difficult 2026 campaign.
The team’s extra work was not considered unexpected. According to the information released, the car arrived late at the Hungaroring, which contributed to the need for an extended period to finalize the equipment’s preparation before the start of track activities.
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Expectations around the new developments are high, but Aston Martin has already indicated that results should not appear immediately. The team’s track operations director, Mike Krack, emphasized on Thursday that such a comprehensive package requires a period of adaptation from engineers and mechanics.
“When you introduce substantial updates, it’s something the track team needs to learn as quickly as possible. Now we don’t have pre-season tests where you can simply do a few laps and comparisons. This obviously places a lot of emphasis on data quality and understanding simulations,” Krack stated.
The director also highlighted that it will take time to explore the full potential of the new package: “We don’t expect to extract everything perhaps already on the first outing tomorrow (Friday). We need to learn how to manage this and figure out how to get the most out of the package,” he concluded, indicating that the evolution of the AMR26 should be closely monitored throughout the Hungarian GP weekend.
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