Aston Martin ‘phenomenal turnaround’ sparked by one key element - Collins

Aston Martin’s performance surge at the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend has raised eyebrows across the F1 paddock – and Team Silverstone’s former strategist Bernie Collins believes she knows why.

Just one week after a lacklustre outing in Belgium, the team qualified an impressive fifth and sixth in Budapest, with Fernando Alonso crossing the line in fifth and Lance Stroll taking seventh on raceday.

The result marked Aston’s best weekend of the 2025 season and propelled them to sixth in the Constructors’ standings heading into the summer break.

A Single Change, a Big Impact

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Collins pointed to a significant tweak in the AMR25’s design as a potential catalyst.

"So the running discussion in the paddock is they're running a new front wing with an old floor,” she explained.

"Some of it will be circuit-specific, but the turnaround has been phenomenal, given we have been at high downforce tracks this year and the car has performed nothing like it did this weekend.

Collins elaborated on the potential ripple effect of this single component, emphasizing the intricate interplay of aerodynamic elements.

"So, something in their new front wing - and it's hard, I guess, for people to realise that just one component or one assembly can make such a big difference to car performance - but if the old front wing, something about how the air was flowing off that affects the remainder of the car.

“So if the old front wing wasn't allowing components in the floor to work, then a single component like the front wing may allow better airflow to the rest of the car. Suddenly, the whole floor is working better, the diffuser's working better, the rear wing's working better.

• Read also: Alonso lauds Aston’s Hungary high, but raises major 'concern'

This cascading effect, Collins argued, underscores the importance of precision in aerodynamic design.

“So just getting one assembly correct - particularly front wing or a front brake duct, anything like that that's affecting a lot of the airflow further back in the car - it can turn your performance around quite quickly.

"We need to go to more circuits to see that that holds across a range of downforce levels. But such positive signs for Aston Martin."

Alonso Enjoys – but Questions – the Boost

While the turnaround delighted fans and the team, two-time world champion Alonso admitted the newfound speed came as a shock.

“It is a surprise, definitely it is a surprise. It's a nice surprise,” Alonso said. "The good thing is that we were competitive and we were fast. The concerning thing is that we don't know why.

“Obviously, the main theme for us was the front wing that was new this weekend. If that front wing gives us that much performance, that's very good news, but I think that has to be understood at the moment.”

As F1 heads into its summer pause, Aston Martin will be keen to discover whether Hungary’s breakthrough was a one-off boost from the Hungaroring’s unique demands – or the start of a sustained climb up the competitive order.

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