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Aston Martin used its second filming day of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Hungaroring to give Honda's upgraded power unit its first on-track outing ahead of its competitive debut at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The Silverstone-based outfit remained at the Hungarian circuit following last Sunday's Grand Prix. While the team assisted Pirelli with its 2027 slick tyre development programme on Tuesday alongside Audi and Alpine, Aston Martin dedicated Wednesday to its own 200-kilometre filming day.
Reserve driver Jak Crawford was behind the wheel of the AMR26, becoming the first driver to sample Honda's revised RA626H power unit. Under Formula 1 regulations, filming days must be completed on demonstration tyres, limiting outright performance but still allowing teams to gather valuable data on the reliability and operation of new components.
The upgraded Honda engine incorporates the development changes permitted by the FIA under the ADUO (Additional Development Opportunity Unit) system, introduced to help manufacturers address reliability and performance deficiencies during the season.
Rather than using Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll, Aston Martin entrusted Crawford with the programme, underlining that the primary objective was the evaluation of the revised power unit rather than commercial filming.
The test came just days after Aston Martin introduced the AMR26 Spec B package at the Hungarian Grand Prix, featuring significant chassis and aerodynamic revisions developed under the guidance of Adrian Newey.
Running the upgraded Honda power unit in the same specification of car gave Aston Martin and Honda the opportunity to compare the new engine directly against the data gathered during the race weekend.
According to information from the Hungaroring, the revised power unit is intended to address the vibration issues that hampered Honda's start to the 2026 campaign. Japanese and Aston Martin engineers have worked extensively on the components covered by the FIA's development allowance, with early indications from the filming day understood to be encouraging.
While the updated engine is not expected to transform Aston Martin into a frontrunner capable of challenging Mercedes or Red Bull Ford, it is anticipated to deliver a meaningful step forward in both performance and reliability.
The package is expected to make its race debut at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort following Formula 1's summer break, where Aston Martin hopes it can strengthen the team's fight for regular points finishes during the remainder of the season.