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Sergio Perez believes Aston Martin’s major upgrade package could close the gap to Cadillac at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, raising the prospect of a significant change at the back of the Formula 1 field.
Aston Martin has struggled with its AMR26, while engine partner Honda has faced a steep development curve. The team therefore delayed its upgrades until it could bring enough performance to move the car away from the final row. That point has now arrived in Budapest, where Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will receive a package featuring a full aerodynamic overhaul and a weight reduction.
The scale of the potential gain remains uncertain. Some paddock estimates suggest Aston Martin could find more than two seconds per lap, although that figure is unconfirmed. A step of that magnitude would be needed to immediately threaten Cadillac, which has established a clear qualifying advantage at several recent events.
The fastest Cadillac was 1.6 seconds quicker than Aston Martin at Silverstone and 2.4 seconds faster in Belgium. Honda’s lack of power and deployment contributed to those gaps, while Aston Martin was just over a second behind in Barcelona and Spielberg. Cadillac has also added performance to its MAC-26 since those races.
Perez, speaking on Thursday, expects the upgrade to make the contest closer. “Definitely. I think they will be developing strong, they are obviously a very strong team,” the Cadillac driver said. “We are expecting that they will close the gap and they will be moving forwards.”
The latest 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix preview outlines the wider Budapest weekend, but the most immediate question is whether Aston Martin’s new package performs as predicted.
Valtteri Bottas said rumours suggested that almost the entire Aston Martin had changed, with only the front suspension remaining the same. He described himself as curious but also concerned that a major step could leave Cadillac at the back.
“In the end, we just need to focus on our job. We shouldn’t waste our energy on that,” Bottas said.
Aston Martin trackside engineering chief Mike Krack confirmed the upgrade includes significant aerodynamic changes and a lighter chassis, but rejected expectations of an instant transformation. The team must first understand the new car and validate the quality of its simulation data.
“We do not expect that we will get everything out of it in the first run tomorrow,” Krack said. “It will take a bit of time.”
That caution is central to Aston Martin’s weekend. The package may deliver the required pace, but extracting its full potential will be a separate challenge.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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