What’s got one F1 driver “scared” about Aston Martin’s big Hungarian GP upgrade

Valtteri Bottas has admitted he is “a little bit scared” about Formula 1 rival Aston Martin’s upgrade at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. 

In a bid to turnaround a truly miserable 2026 season, Aston Martin is introducing a B-spec version of its AMR26 in Budapest this weekend. 

The package has been described as being a “significant aerodynamic upgrade”, though Aston Martin has been quick to downplay expectations amid suggestions it will be a make-or-break moment for the Silverstone-based outfit. 

F1 newcomers Cadillac has impressively been a clear step ahead of Aston Martin so far in its debut campaign, but Bottas is worried that his side could be leapfrogged in the pecking order. 

“There's lots of rumours, most are saying it's a big step for them, but again, we'll we'll see as the car hits the track,” Bottas told media in Budapest. 

“One rumour I heard that the only thing that is the same than the current car is the front suspension, everything else is new. So, let's see. Quite curious about that. 

“At the same time, a little bit scared in a way that if they make a big step, then we're at the back. But in the end, we can only focus on our job. We shouldn’t waste our energy on that.”

Bottas's team-mate Sergio Perez is also expecting improvement from Aston Martin.

Asked if he expects Aston Martin to close the gap with its upgrade, Perez replied: "Definitely. They will be developing strong. 

“They're obviously a very strong team, so yeah, I do expect that they will close the gap and we will be moving forward.” 

Cadillac has been steadily developing its first F1 challenger and ended up over two seconds clear of the fastest Aston Martin during qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out. 

Bottas also finished more than 70 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso in the race at Spa. 

“Everything we brought to the car has made it quicker, it's made it better. I think that's really positive for a new team,” Bottas said of Cadillac’s development. 

“It's not not a guarantee in Formula 1 that the parts that you bring to the car actually works. I think that's that's promising for the future. So, we've made steps, we haven't made like huge steps, but we've seen progress.

“I think what's been quite evident, if we compare ourselves to Aston, as they haven't really been upgrading the car yet, we've seen that we've been able to get away from them - quite a good chunk - and that has come from these small improvements.”

Aston Martin sits in 10th place in the constructors’ championship and is only ahead of Cadillac by virtue of Alonso’s points finish at the Monaco Grand Prix due to penalties ahead.