Stroll: Aston Martin four seconds off after tough start to F1 pre-season testing
Lance Stroll expressed strong disappointment after Aston Martin had a rocky kickoff to the 2026 Formula 1 pre-season, insisting the team is “four seconds off.”
Based in Silverstone, Aston Martin arrived four days late to the initial collective shakedown in Barcelona. On day one of the Bahrain test, Stroll completed only 36 laps, with only Franco Colapinto recording fewer. The setback stemmed from Aston Martin identifying a “data anomaly” in the new Honda power unit, which limited crucial track time for Stroll. Max Verstappen logged the most laps, at 136.
“Right now, we look like we're four seconds off the top team, four and a half seconds,” Stroll said. “It’s impossible to know exact fuel loads and other running conditions. But now we have to find four seconds of performance.”
Stroll's best time was 1m39.883s, which put him 5.214 seconds behind pacesetter Lando Norris. Yet he reminded readers that testing times come with typical caveats and don’t always reflect race performance.
The start is far from ideal for Aston Martin, despite the lofty expectations around the 2026 season. The team pushed hard into this year’s regulation changes, including a new engine and leadership by Adrian Newey, all while the organization has benefited from substantial investment by owner Lawrence Stroll. Still, a late wind-tunnel start reportedly affected development timelines.
“We have all the tools to fight for race wins and championships,” Stroll said. “We’re not there yet, and we have to figure out what we can do about it. Do we want to fight for race wins? Yes. Are we fighting for race wins today? It doesn’t look like it. Does that mean we can fight for race wins in the future? I believe so.”
He added that he doesn’t claim to have a crystal ball and that the team’s performance will reveal itself in the weeks ahead. “I don’t have all the answers,” he admitted, “but we’re pushing as hard as we can to bring performance to the car and the engine every single day. Time will tell how competitive we look at the first race and across the season.”
Stroll attributed the current issues to a mix of factors—engine performance, balance, and grip—and, with a practical shrug, offered a small positive note: “The livery looks nice.”
Read Also:
- Formula 1: How Aston Martin and Honda’s expectation management ties into Newey’s F1 design
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