Former IndyCar Series driver and F1 TV pundit James Hinchcliffe has argued that Aston Martin’s highly anticipated upgrade package at the Hungarian Grand Prix should not be judged solely on its immediate pace, warning that the team will need time to maximise the changes.
Ahead of the final race before Formula 1’s summer break, the Silverstone outfit is debuting a massive upgrade package at the Hungaroring. Aston Martin opted against introducing incremental changes, instead choosing to target Hungary to essentially bring a B-spec car.
Speaking on F1 TV‘s Weekend Warm-Up, Hinchcliffe discussed the pressure on the Adrian Newey-led squad to deliver a result.
“Yes, there’s a lot of pressure, certainly. They’ve made a bold choice. I’ve never seen anything quite like it in Formula 1 to just sit on the car as is and have everything come in one go,” Hinchcliffe explained.
“And there’s just going to be so much hope, so much anticipation for this weekend that it all works. Now remember, just because you bolted it onto the car today doesn’t mean you’ve maximised the package today.
Adrian Newey, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
“What’s important is if it’s not immediately fighting inside the top 10, not all is lost, right? I mean, every other car started in the Barcelona shakedown and they’ve been developing it since. This is, for all intents and purposes, a B-spec car. You’ve got to restart from that point.
“So it just needs to be directionally correct. It needs to correlate well with the wind tunnel and the simulation. And if that’s right and that’s true, then at least they’re heading in the right direction.”
Heading into the race weekend in Hungary, Aston Martin sits 10th in the constructors’ championship with one point, only ahead of Cadillac. Fernando Alonso is 18th in the drivers’ championship, having scored one point at the Monaco Grand Prix after several other drivers were handed penalties, and his team-mate Lance Stroll is 22nd.
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