Overview
- Aston Martin has revealed its heavily revised AMR26B in the paddock and will run the car for the first time in Friday practice as the team attempts to recover from a poor start to 2026.
- McLaren brings a new floor and other aerodynamic parts to the Hungaroring and will test an experimental rear wing on track without committing to race it fully.
- Mercedes retain strong raw pace but Toto Wolff has demanded a clean, reliable weekend after software and energy-deployment faults cost George Russell significant straight-line speed and championship points.
- Ferrari’s recent cornering gains make the high-downforce Hungaroring a favorable test for the SF26, yet team bosses and rivals all stress that upgrade claims remain unproven until validated on track.
- With the August shutdown looming, teams will use this final pre-break weekend to learn from large, circuit-targeted updates, run reserve drivers in FP1, and shape development and driver-market plans for the second half of the season.