Aston Martin Flies in Repairs for Stroll After Hungary Suspension Failure

Aston Martin is rushing overnight repairs for Lance Stroll's AMR26 after a left-rear suspension failure limited him to 11 laps in Hungarian GP practice. The Turn 3 incident in FP1 depleted the team's spares, forcing them to sideline the car for FP2 while replacements are flown from the UK.

Why it matters:

The failure cost Stroll crucial track time right as Aston Martin introduced a major upgrade package. While teammate Fernando Alonso gathered data across both Friday sessions, Stroll must now compress his learning into Saturday, leaving him on the back foot ahead of qualifying.

The details:

• Stroll's left-rear suspension failed at Turn 3 in FP1, and with insufficient spares on-site, the team could not ready his car for the second session.
• Alonso ran both sessions and reported encouraging feedback on the upgrades, though his best FP2 lap was deleted for track limits, leaving him 19th.
• Pedro de la Rosa confirmed the issue was isolated to Stroll's car, allowing Alonso to continue without concern.
• Fresh components are being flown from Silverstone to ensure both AMR26s are in identical specification for Saturday's FP3 and qualifying.

What's next:

Stroll is expected to return for FP3, but the lost time leaves him facing a steep learning curve. The team must rapidly optimize the new setup and maximize Stroll's laps before qualifying to avoid a grid deficit at the Hungaroring, where overtaking opportunities are scarce.