Lance Stroll has stated that Aston Martin needs to
“try and find four seconds of performance”
to have any realistic chance of being competitive with their AMR26 car in the 2026 Formula 1 season. Speaking during the second pre-season test in Bahrain, Stroll identified the car’s paint scheme and favorable weather as among the few positives so far this week.
Initial Setbacks for Aston Martin in Pre-Season Testing
After high hopes were set by Aston Martin’s acquisition of renowned designer Adrian Newey last year and the announcement of a technical partnership with Honda in 2026, the team has struggled to show progress. Their preparations have faltered, especially given a late start to testing in Barcelona where the team completed only two of the allotted three days, managing a mere 54 laps compared to Mercedes’ 500 laps. This lack of running time has placed them at a distinct disadvantage heading into the new season.
Technical Concerns and Performance Deficits on Track
The difficulties persisted in Bahrain, with Stroll completing just 36 laps on the first day. His teammate, Fernando Alonso, recorded 55 laps but was still 4.687 seconds slower than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, underscoring the current performance gap. Stroll openly acknowledged to reporters that Aston Martin
“has a lot of work to do”
before the season opener in Australia on March 8.
He explained the issues impacting the car’s pace, citing a combination of engine problems, balance, and lack of grip. According to Stroll:
“It’s a combination of things: engine, balance, grip. It’s not one thing, it’s a combination.”
When questioned whether engine trouble contributes to the car’s imbalance, he responded,
“Yeah, some of it is. For sure. A big part of it is.”
Regarding specific handling concerns such as downshifts and braking into corners, he commented,
“It’s not great at the moment, that’s for sure.”
Nevertheless, Stroll maintained a focus on gradual improvement with each session, emphasizing the team’s efforts to overcome the challenges at hand.
Perspectives on Progress and Expectations Moving Forward
Despite frustrations, Stroll retained a pragmatic approach. When asked if he found any positives during testing, he lightheartedly remarked,
“Sunny outside. The weather’s nice. Better than UK weather! The livery looks nice.”
He stressed that it remains uncertain what the car’s ultimate potential will be in 2026, adding that the team is working to extract more performance from each run in Bahrain.
He stated,
“Time will tell how much performance we can extract from it. Right now, the issues we have we’re trying to improve it every run, every day, and we’ll see how much more we can extract from the car.”
Acknowledging that fundamental problems might extend beyond just limited running time, Stroll said,
“We are where we are and we have the issues we have.”
Looking to the upcoming race weekend in Australia, he said,
“We just keep pushing forward and trying to extract more performance from the engine, from the car, and see where we get to in Australia for the first race and how we can develop going from there.”
Gap to Top Teams and Hopes for Closing the Performance Deficit
When questioned about Aston Martin’s prospects of closing the gap to frontrunners by the start of the season, Stroll was cautious and realistic. He noted the team currently appears to be about four to four and a half seconds behind the leading cars, stressing that it is difficult to judge exact time differences due to varying fuel loads and other unknown variables during testing.
“Right now we look like we’re four seconds off the top team, four and a half seconds,”
he said.
“So, again, impossible to know what fuel loads and everything people are running.”
He explained the challenge succinctly:
“But now we need to try and find four seconds of performance. I don’t think it falls from the sky. I think you have to improve and find performance in the car and the engine.”
