Perez wary as Aston Martin targets Cadillac with major Hungary upgrade

Sergio Perez expects Aston Martin's heavily anticipated Hungarian Grand Prix upgrade to significantly narrow the gap to Cadillac, acknowledging the British team's potential after a dismal start to 2026. Aston Martin has trailed at the back of the grid with its troublesome AMR26, but the Budapest package marks its most aggressive bid yet to escape the rear and mount a challenge to the American manufacturer.

Why it matters:

The upgrade could redraw the battle at the foot of the Formula 1 standings. Aston Martin's deficit to Cadillac has stretched beyond a second at recent races, and any legitimate step forward would threaten the advantage Perez and Valtteri Bottas have built. With Honda still climbing its own development curve, the team's chassis breakthrough is critical to escaping the cellar.

The details:

• The AMR26 receives a comprehensive facelift in Budapest, headlined by a full aerodynamic overhaul and a lighter chassis targeting both downforce and excess weight.
• Paddock rumors hint at gains exceeding two seconds per lap, though estimates vary. Cadillac's margin over Aston Martin reached 1.6 seconds at Silverstone and over two seconds at Spa, figures inflated by Honda's power deficit, while the gap was narrower in Barcelona and Austria.
• Bottas confessed he is "curious and scared" about the scale of the changes, with whispers suggesting only the front suspension carries over from the previous specification.
• Trackside engineering chief Mike Krack confirmed the package centers on a "significant aerodynamic upgrade and a weight reduction," but stressed the track team must learn how to extract the performance quickly rather than unlocking it instantly.

What's next:

Aston Martin enters the weekend facing a steep calibration curve rather than instant lap time glory. Krack warned that understanding the new package through practice sessions will take time, meaning the true extent of the gain may not be visible until qualifying or beyond. If correlation with simulation data proves strong, however, Cadillac could find its once-comfortable buffer erased sooner than expected.