Aston Martin is viewing the Hungarian Grand Prix as a turning point for their season, with drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll reacting positively to the first race outing of the upgraded AMR26.

The update package showed immediate promise, allowing Alonso to reach Q3 in Qualifying for the first time this season. On Sunday, the team saw a glimmer of hope as Lance Stroll secured P13—his best result of the year—finishing just ahead of Alonso in P14.

Alonso expressed satisfaction with the car's newfound competitiveness, particularly in the early stages of the race. “I think it was good to feel again the competitiveness and I think especially at the beginning, I think we had the pace to follow more or less the midfields,” the Spaniard remarked. “That was good, and hopefully a good baseline to work with this new car.”

With the summer break approaching, Aston Martin intends to build on this momentum. The team has further chassis updates planned and is eagerly anticipating an upgraded power unit for the Dutch Grand Prix in August.

“Especially on the engine, obviously, we are looking forward to Zandvoort and trying to get a little bit more competitive in terms of straight-line speed,” Alonso said. “Hopefully a new start of the championship for us basically in the second part.”

Lance Stroll echoed this sentiment, stating that being back in the mix with the midfield for the first time this year represents a "big step" for the team. “We just have to keep pushing,” Stroll added.