The team arrives in Belgium with only one point from the opening nine rounds and no upgrades to the AMR26 planned before a major package is introduced at next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Lance Stroll predicted after Silverstone that Spa would be the least suitable circuit of the year for Aston Martin, a view now backed by chief trackside officer Mike Krack.
“We know that Spa’s going to be really difficult and probably the worst circuit of the year for us,” Stroll said.
“It should be really difficult for us there, and, hopefully, Budapest is a big uplift in performance. We just have to be patient for the upgrades when they come.
“Hopefully, it brings a lot of performance.”
Krack agreed with Stroll’s assessment, adding that the long Spa lap and its extensive flat-out sections are expected to further highlight the team’s straight-line speed and energy-management deficit.
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“Yes, I think we know the sensitivities of this circuit for the various parameters of the car, and I think I have to agree with Lance,” he said.
“It’s not only the lap length that we will suffer from, but also the character. So I think we can expect that.”
Honda trackside general manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara also acknowledged the challenge of distributing electrical energy across the lap without leaving the Aston Martin vulnerable at the end of Spa’s long straights.
“This circuit is quite tricky compared to Silverstone,” Orihara said.
“We have long straights, and it’s quite tricky in terms of MGU-K deployment distribution… So we have prepared some data, but we need to check what the best strategy is to cover the full long straights.”
Aston Martin’s only point of the season came through Fernando Alonso’s 10th-place finish in Monaco, while the team has fallen around one second behind newcomer Cadillac in qualifying across the previous two rounds.
Its focus has increasingly shifted towards Hungary, where an extensively revised AMR26 is expected to feature changes to the nose, rear suspension and aerodynamic package, alongside efforts to reduce weight.
However, Aston Martin is facing a race against time to produce enough components, with Krack adding that while he is confident both cars will receive the upgrades, he is less certain about the availability of spare parts.
“Everybody works flat out to get the parts, to get the cars ready. It’s a big undertaking if you decide to do it like that,” he said.
“You always try to push the deadlines as far as you can. So it’s a big effort going on at AMRTC at the moment. And I’m a positive thinker.
“So, I think we will have two cars ready to go. I don’t think we will have five spares of each, to be honest.”
Krack warned the upgrade should not immediately be expected to propel Aston Martin into contention with the midfield after its difficult opening half of the season.
“I think we need to be careful with expectations,” he added.
“We are quite far away from the front, but also from the midfield. So I think we have to put the car on the ground in Hungary.”
A further power unit update from Honda is expected at the Dutch Grand Prix following the summer break, forming the second stage of Aston Martin’s development plan.
Alonso will sit out opening practice at Spa, with third driver Jak Crawford taking over his car for his third FP1 appearance of the season.
The American previously drove Alonso’s car in Japan before replacing Stroll during opening practice in Austria, with his Belgium outing fulfilling Aston Martin’s third mandatory rookie session of 2026.
2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix – Schedule, how to watch, TV times & more
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