Round 11 | Hungary

"A very encouraging first step forward"

GRAND PRIX REACTION
Hungary mobile Sunday hero

The team rounded off the first part of the 2026 Formula One season by taking P13 and P14 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Lance crossing the line ahead of Fernando.

A race weekend which saw us introduce updates to the AMR26, Sunday provided the first chance to assess the new components over the course of a Grand Prix distance.

Read on for all the reaction from the trackside team in Hungary.

  • Both our drivers started the race on the Soft compound tyre. Fernando was in P16 with Lance in P20.

  • They avoided incident at lights out, and Lance made an early stop for Medium tyres in a bid to undercut the cars in front of him.

  • Fernando, meanwhile, went long on the Soft tyre, eventually pitting for a set of Mediums just before the half-distance mark.

  • The undercut for Lance paid off, with him able to move in front of several cars.

  • On fresher rubber than those in front of him, Fernando was also able to move up the field after his stop.

  • Lance made his second stop shortly after Fernando's first, moving back to the Soft tyre.

  • In the closing stages, a Virtual Safety Car was called as Oscar Piastri retired from the race. Lance stayed out and rose to P12 while Fernando pitted, but was unlucky to enter the pit lane just as the VSC conditions were lifted – meaning the field was back running to green flag conditions. This dropped him to P15.

  • Before the chequered flag, Fernando moved into P14 with Lance one spot ahead of him in P13.

  • No points for the team, but a clear sign of progress after applying our updates to the AMR26. Both drivers had the pace to compete with the cars around them.

  • There's lots more work to do, but we take some momentum into the summer break and plenty of data to analyse around our new components.

  • Thank you for your support over the first part of this season. We'll return after the summer break recharged and ready to give it our all at the Dutch Grand Prix on 21-23 August.

THE LATEST FROM THE TRACK

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
  • Postion

    21ST

  • Fastest lap

    1:23.471 (HARD)

  • Laps

    11

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    303.1

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
  • Postion

    13TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:21.550 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    20

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    302.6

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
Unfortunately Lance did not participate in Free Practice Two.

"Unfortunately Lance did not participate in Free Practice Two. There was not enough time to repair the damage from Free Practice One."

  • Postion

    N/A

  • Fastest lap

    N/A

  • Laps

    N/A

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    N/A

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
It felt better today and more or less what we expected with our new package.

"It felt better today and more or less what we expected with our new package. This correlation shows things are working properly and we can take positives from that.

"It's the first step for us and there are more to come over the next few races. We're trying to understand the new parts and there is more potential to unlock overnight in the car setup."

  • Postion

    19TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:21.719 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    24

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    311.1

Pedro de‎	la Rosa
Pedrode‎ la
It's been a promising first day with the update package.

"It's been a promising first day with the update package, and the initial signs are encouraging despite losing valuable track time on Lance's car due to a suspension failure.

"The data we've gathered so far is broadly in line with our expectations, which gives us a solid foundation to build on overnight.

"It's only the first step, but it's a positive start and gives us a good platform to build on for the rest of the weekend."

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
  • Postion

    18TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:20.933 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    20

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    319.3

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
  • Postion

    17TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:20.393 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    17

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    320.7

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
I think Q2 was possible, but I got caught out by a tailwind into Turn 12.

"The car feels like a step forward with more downforce and more grip, so that's positive.

"We were up on the final lap and I think Q2 was possible, but I got caught out by a tailwind into Turn 12 and the car just wouldn't turn, so I couldn't complete it.

"We're still missing some power and there are things to improve with the balance, especially after losing so much running yesterday.

"It's encouraging that we've made progress, though, and hopefully we can keep building on it tomorrow."

  • Q1

    1:20.659 – 20TH (SOFT)

  • Laps

    8

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    321.4

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
Getting into Q2 is a step in the right direction.

[["It has been a more competitive weekend for us and getting into Q2 is a step in the right direction.

"It was our best Qualifying of the season. It was good to fight for something and everyone in the team was focused to extract the maximum.

"We are still optimising this package and there is more potential to unlock in the car, but it was good to see it deliver what we expected.

"The car seems more consistent and predictable, so it's a bit easier to drive. We are going to keep learning about this car tomorrow and we'll see what we can do in the race.

"A big thanks to everyone in the factory, there has been months of hard work. Hopefully we keep this momentum into the next few months and we keep improving the performance."]]

  • Q1

    1:20.126 – 16TH (SOFT)

  • Q2

    1:19.808 – 16TH (SOFT)

  • Laps

    15

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    322.5

Adrian Newey
AdrianNewey
We came into this weekend with an objective to be in the fight with other cars.

"We came into this weekend with an objective to be in the fight with other cars, so securing our first Q2 position is an encouraging step in that direction.

"Fernando got everything he could out of the car today, and Lance, despite limited running yesterday, was also improving on his final run before a tailwind sent him into the gravel.

"We still have work to do to develop the update package, and we know there is more to come."

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
It was nice to feel like we were racing again.

"I felt good in the car today, and it was nice to feel like we were racing again.

"We're not where we want to be yet so there's more work to do, but we're in the mix now.

"The more laps we get with the package, the more performance we'll unlock. It's the most encouraging update we've had in a long time and we've got more coming for Zandvoort, so it's positive to see we're moving in the right direction."

  • Position

    13th

  • Started

    20th

  • Fastest lap

    1:24.718 (Lap 57) (SOFT)

  • Pitstops

    2

  • Tyres

    Soft-Medium-Soft

  • Laps

    69

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    333.3

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
The car was performing well in the race, and we were able to fight with those around us.

"It was a good step forward for us this weekend, so it's a solid baseline for us to build on when we return after the summer break.

"The car was performing well in the race, and we were able to fight with those around us, which was great after some difficult weekends.

"We'll keep pushing, and we'll see how things come together in Zandvoort, especially with Honda's update."

  • Position

    14th

  • Started

    16th

  • Fastest lap

    1:23.679 (Lap 57) (SOFT)

  • Pitstops

    2

  • Tyres

    Soft-Medium-Soft

  • Laps

    69

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    334.6

Adrian Newey
AdrianNewey
We now have a solid baseline to build on when we return from the summer break.

"It's clear we've taken a very encouraging first step forward with the update, and the progress made is a huge credit to the hard work of the entire team at Silverstone.

"The other positive is that performance was in line with our data predictions, showing good correlation between our updated simulation tools and the track. This is a strong indication we are on the right development path for the short and longer term.

"With valuable learnings gathered today, we now have a solid baseline to build on when we return from the summer break, with further updates planned for Zandvoort."

Pedro de‎	la Rosa
Pedrode‎ la
"We're extremely pleased about the whole weekend."

[["We're extremely pleased about the whole weekend.

"Thank you to the entire team for all the hard work. It's a first step and we know a long road is ahead but it's a positive one."

"And thank you to all the fans for your support. Let's look forward now."]]

Welcome to Budapest

The opening half of the 2026 season has been a tough one for the team, but we head into the final race before the summer break determined to put on a good show, and take some momentum into the second half of the year as we bring updates to the AMR26.

The Hungarian Grand Prix is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its F1 debut this year and, of the current calendar, only Monza has a longer consecutive streak that the sinuous Hungaroring. It's a race that can feature astonishingly high track temperatures, sudden, unpredictable summer thunderstorms, and drama from first lap to last. It's the track where Fernando took his first F1 victory, and the race with perhaps the most cosmopolitan crowd, with fans from across the unrepresented parts of Europe adopting this as their home Grand Prix.

It's also a circuit where reputations are forged in the junior categories, and Mari Boya is racing for us in Formula 2 this weekend. He scored his first point since Montréal last weekend in Belgium, and has high hopes on a circuit where he finished on the podium in 2025's Formula 3 Feature Race.

RACE STARTS IN:

00days
00hrs
00mins
00secs

Official Timing Partner
Session Times
FP1
FP2
FP3
Quali
Race
Track map
  • Sectors
  • Turns
  • Straight Mode
  • Overtake Mode
It's a great, technical circuit. If you mess one corner up, that makes the next series of corners quite difficult.
Jessica Hawkins – Driver Ambassador & Head of F1 ACADEMY
  • Number of corners
    14
  • Number of laps
    70
  • Race distance
    306.630km
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