The Hungarian Grand Prix may have been a turning point for Aston Martin. The team arrived at the Hungaroring with a heavily revised AMR26, carrying a package that included 16 new components. After months of disappointing form at the back of the grid, the first signs of progress were enough to spark a debate about the team’s true position in the midfield order. Carlos Sainz, a driver who spent years at some of the biggest teams in Formula 1 before moving to Williams, was quick to suggest that Aston Martin now possesses the strongest chassis in the middle of the pack. His words were immediately dismissed by Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s track operations director, but curiously enough, Fernando Alonso’s first impressions tended to support Sainz’s claim.

Aston Martin’s 2026 season had not started as the team hoped. Despite the immense investment in a new factory, the appointment of top technical staff and a new works Honda engine partnership, the AMR26 was slow enough to spend much of the opening months at the bottom of the pecking order. The team rarely featured in Q2, and its race pace was often closer to the back than to the points. The Hungarian weekend was therefore a pivotal moment. The substantial upgrade package was expected to answer some of the car’s core weaknesses, particularly in high-speed corners and kerb-riding behaviour, and early indications suggested that it worked on both fronts.

On the Hungaroring, Aston Martin was able to reassert itself over Cadillac and Williams, while closing the gap to Alpine and Haas. Alonso, for the first time this season with his new specification, made it into Q2. That alone was a significant step for a team that had often been resigned to the back rows. The car appeared to behave more predictably across corners, giving the drivers confidence to push, and the midfield picture suddenly looked different.

Carlos Sainz, who has been a close observer of the midfield battle all year, was not slow to react. In an interview in Hungary, the Williams driver argued that Aston Martin had transformed its car from a losing proposition into the benchmark of the middle group. “Aston Martin has gone from a car with less downforce and a worse chassis than ours to one that now has the best level of downforce in the midfield,” he said. His assessment carried additional weight because it did not come from Aston Martin’s own camp.

Sainz also took the opportunity to issue a clear message to his own team. The Spaniard urged Williams to keep pushing with its development programme, warning that the competitive order in the midfield can shift quickly. His praise of Aston Martin was therefore not merely an observation; it was also a piece of advocacy for more upgrades on his own side of the garage.

When Mike Krack was confronted with Sainz’s statement, the response was short and direct: “I don’t think so.” The Aston Martin track operations director brushed aside the idea that his team had suddenly jumped ahead of every rival in the midfield. Krack has repeatedly preferred to measure progress against internal targets rather than listen to outside commentary, and his refusal to embrace Sainz’s wording fits that approach.

Fernando Alonso, however, offered a more nuanced view. The double world champion had just completed his first race weekend with the upgraded AMR26 B, and his early feelings did not entirely contradict Sainz. Alonso was cautious but visibly more optimistic than he had been earlier in the season.

“We still need to study the data more and compare the telemetry overlays,” he explained. “But I don’t think we now have any big surprises or a significant deficit in the corners compared to the best midfield teams, which is obviously our first objective: to become the best team in the middle of the pack.” For a driver who has spent much of the season voicing concerns about the car’s lack of grip and unpredictable balance, those words were a meaningful endorsement of the package.

Alonso went even further when asked about cornering performance. “In corners, I think we are now capable of showing a pace

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