Things could finally be looking up for Aston Martin and their F1 power unit partners Honda as the Japanese giants are said to have made a major ‘breakthrough’ ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

The F1 2026 calendar will resume with the fifth round and third sprint event of the new regulations era at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve next weekend, providing yet another opportunity for those on the backfoot to bring in some vital points.

And there’s no team who are further behind than Aston Martin, who even with F1 legend Adrian Newey among their ranks, are currently joint-last with brand new squad Cadillac in the constructors’ standings.

The Silverstone squad took a significant step forward last time out when driver duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both managed to cross the line at the Miami Grand Prix, marking the first time this season both Aston Martins have completed a full-length race.

But don’t let this small improvement delude you, Aston Martin still have a long way to go to be in with a chance of finishing in the points anytime soon.

Aston Martin aim for F1 2026 turnaround

Considering the goals that team owner Lawrence Stroll set out when he announced the blockbuster signing of Newey as managing technical partner, Aston Martin are currently a long way off the mark.

Despite the Miami GP marking a step in the right direction earlier this month, Aston Martin notably failed to bring any upgrades to the fourth round of the championship despite there being a five-week break between the previous race and the first stateside event of the year.

F1 pundit and former driver Karun Chandhok even noted Aston Martin’s lack of upgrades last time out in a recent episode of the Sky Sports podcast, adding that anyone he speaks to from the British-based squad, ‘just looks depressed and deflated’.

But according to the Italian edition of Motorsport.com, the next round in Canada could see a refreshed version of the Aston Martin F1 team.

A recent report from the Italian publication read claimed that work on the engine and dyno in Japan along with fine tuning of electronics at Sakura have produced a ‘quantum leap’ that should give Newey’s team a significant boost at the Canadian Grand Prix.

This is due to the upgrades assisting with the traction of the car which will be highly useful at a track as stop/start as the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

“Meanwhile, the engine and gearbox have been running on Honda’s dyno in Japan, and the fine-tuning of the electronics at Sakura should allow for a quantum leap in Montreal, a track that emphasises stop-and-go capabilities and where traction plays a role in performance. Will this be the first (small) turnaround?”