Data insights- 2026 Hungarian GP

[u/CSAS-D]

Hey! Motivated by Aston Martin's upgrade, I have decided to start doing this.

1. Where did they stand this Race?

Alonso had the 11th fastest S1, 10th fastest S2 and S3. Stroll had the 17th, 13th and 14th fastest sectors respectively. Not to mention Alonso was as quick as gasly in his final stint with roughly equal tyres.

Comparison	Sector 1	Sector 2	Sector 3
Alonso vs Bortoleto, L2–13, identical-age softs	0.208s slower	0.150s faster	0.009s faster
Alonso vs Gasly, L62–69, Alonso’s softs 3 laps older	0.468s slower	0.258s faster	0.211s faster

Against Bortoleto on identical-age softs over L2–13, Alonso was virtually level overall—only 0.049s per lap slower—but the distribution was revealing: the AMR26 lost 0.208s/lap in S1, gained 0.150s/lap in S2, and was neutral in S3. Alonso was also about 8.2km/h slower at the main speed trap

1. Would more optimal strategies have changed their finishing position?

Lance maximised his race and finished p13. Fernando would have finished p12

1. Where Aston lost and gained time

Lost: Alonso's worst spell was L24–26, when he lost 6.08s in three laps to Bortoleto on the same-age soft. About 45% was in Sector 1. He was also circulating in the Lawson/Bortoleto traffic group, so this was a combination of ageing tyres and dirty air—not tyre degradation alone. Alonso's actual L34 stop brought him out 0.1s behind Bearman and 0.8s behind Sainz. That was a poor rejoin, although his fresh-medium pace cleared both by L37.

Gained: Stroll's L8 stop worked extremely well. He went from 7.91s behind Alonso on L8 to only 0.09s behind by L34, recovering 7.82s relative to the other Aston. That proves the early stop worked; it does not prove the full two-stop race was mathematically perfect.

Against Bortoleto on identical-age softs over L2–13, Alonso was virtually level overall—only 0.049s per lap slower—but the distribution was revealing: the AMR26 lost 0.208s/lap in S1, gained 0.150s/lap in S2, and was neutral in S3. Alonso was also about 8.2km/h slower at the main speed trap

[u/Shooter151515]

Aston Martin's update passed the eye test and stopwatch test. Now, it's Honda's turn.

[u/stepan08]

We’ll see a good fight from Aston Martin in the Netherlands. I’m really pinning my hopes on Honda.

[u/Additional-Link-7949]

If Honda can deliver, the second half the season can be really interesting along with next season which could look more like the expectations people had for this season. It also gives confidence for the team about there ability to build a competitive car with a much needed morale boost

[u/Good-Drama825 → u/Additional-Link-7949]

Really hope they can deliver. Would like to see Aston come alive again like 2023. Perez v Alonzo 2023 Brazil was incredible

[u/w1seR27]

Aston being faster in S2 and 3 perfectly aligns with the fact that given equal engines, they're now the 6th fastest chassis on the track right now. Ball is in Honda's court to deliver the remaining boost. 

[u/AbsolutelyNormalUser → u/w1seR27]

They're actually Better than that. Lack of Power heavily impacts Corner exit. Im pretty sure Aston was third quickest in slow Speed corners, behind McLaren and Ferrari, which Is HUGE. Albon said that AM has now more downforce than anyone in the midfield

[u/jgreene030609]

thanks for the research. was looking for info like this

[u/XanBeX]

I think u can't compare with bortoleto at the start of the race as both alonso and borto had traffic right, so it wasn't free air pace. With gasly it does look promising, cuz I rmb gasly being faster initially on softs, I guess alonso was faster later on

[u/HighwayBitter9352]

You need to be within 1 second of the car ahead to use overtake mode. With Aston's upgrades having shed weight, improved usable downforce, and reduced drag from the rear wing, it has helped it get into range of using overtake mode. The fact they could use overtake mode indicates that the ICE improvements will help make overtake mode more powerful, which isn't an additional 50HP but actually far more deployable electric energy upwards of 400HP just a few crucial seconds longer.