Aston Martin break curfew with late shift to prepare crucial Hungary GP upgrade

An FIA document confirmed that Aston Martin personnel associated with the operation of the car remained inside the Hungaroring during the 14-hour overnight curfew between Thursday and Friday.

However, no further action will be taken, with the team using the first of the five individual curfew exemptions permitted during the 2026 Formula 1 season.

The timing is notable given Aston Martin has arrived in Hungary with what has effectively been described as a B-spec AMR26, featuring major chassis and aerodynamic changes and weight-saving measures, as the team attempts to revive a difficult campaign.

It is no surprise that Aston Martin stayed up late through the night, as the car arrived late following a delayed arrival at the Hungaroring.

Aston Martin Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack addressed the long-awaited Hungarian GP updates while speaking to the media on Thursday.

Krack stressed that introducing such substantial upgrades requires the trackside team to learn as quickly as possible, with no opportunity for back-to-back testing as would be possible during winter testing. As a result, understanding the data and simulations will be crucial, while extracting the package's full potential is expected to take time rather than happen immediately.

He said: "When you bring substantial upgrades, it's something that the track team will have to learn as quick as possible. We have no winter testing where you can just do some runs, some back to backs, and all that. It puts obviously a lot of emphasis on the quality of your data, on the quality of understanding your simulations. But we do not expect that we get everything out of maybe the first run tomorrow. So I think we need to learn how to manage this and how to get the best out of it."