Adrian Newey believes Aston Martin's extensive upgrade package has made an encouraging start after its first outing during practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix, despite Lance Stroll's session ending prematurely with a suspension failure.
Fernando Alonso finished 13th in the opening session at the Hungaroring, 2.475 seconds behind pace-setter Charles Leclerc, but significantly closer to the front than Aston Martin has typically managed this season.
Newey encouraged by early performance
The upgraded AMR26 made its track debut in Hungary following a major redesign, with only the front suspension, engine and gearbox carried over from the previous race in Belgium.
A revised chassis has also been introduced after a significant weight reduction, requiring fresh FIA homologation before it could be used.
Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team@AstonMartinF1All planned upgrades were delivered on schedule and fitted to the cars. Work will continue throughout the weekend to refine the package and optimise the performance of both cars.
#HungarianGP
While the team is still gathering data, Newey was optimistic about the initial signs.
"Very early days in terms of understanding the new package. Provisional results are promising," he said.
"We will have some more steps in Monza and Baku, so it is the first part of our planned upgrade. Very short on parts so being careful with it and trying to learn all about it."
Further improvements are expected after Formula 1's summer break, with engine supplier Honda preparing to introduce an upgraded power unit at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Stroll suffers suspension failure
The session was interrupted when Stroll's left rear suspension failed as he exited Turn Three, bringing out a stoppage with around 20 minutes remaining.
Newey admitted the issue came as a surprise because it did not involve any of the components included in the latest upgrade package.
"Everybody is feverishly trying to understand what went wrong and it is only once we have an understanding that we can comment on what we do next," he added.
"The area involved is not what has been changed, so in that sense it was very unexpected."
Alonso returned to the circuit as soon as the session resumed to continue evaluating the new package.
Leclerc leads Ferrari one-two challenge
Ferrari enjoyed a strong opening session, with Charles Leclerc topping the timesheets in 1:19.075, finishing 0.484 seconds clear of Max Verstappen's Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton made it two Ferraris inside the top three, while Isack Hadjar, George Russell and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top six.
Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti impressed in Kimi Antonelli's car to finish seventh, ahead of Audi's Nico Hulkenberg and Racing Bulls duo Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson.
Leclerc's session ended moments early after a technical problem left his Ferrari stranded in the pit lane before he could reach the team's garage.
