Lance Stroll admits Aston Martin needs to 'find four seconds' as AMR26 struggles continue

Lance Stroll has delivered a brutally honest assessment of Aston Martin's pre-season, stating the team needs to "find four seconds of performance" to be competitive with its troubled AMR26. The Canadian driver highlighted a combination of engine, balance, and grip issues, with the car's livery and Bahrain's sunny weather being the only positives he could cite after limited and troubled testing mileage.

Why it matters:

Aston Martin entered the 2026 season with monumental expectations following the high-profile signings of design legend Adrian Newey and a new works partnership with Honda. The team's stark struggle to even complete laps, let alone be competitive, represents a dramatic and concerning reality check. It raises immediate questions about the integration of its new technical leadership and power unit, potentially derailing its ambitious championship aspirations before the first race even begins.

The details:

• Severe Performance Gap: Stroll revealed the AMR26 is currently an estimated four to four-and-a-half seconds per lap off the pace of the fastest teams in testing, a monumental deficit in F1 terms.
• Chronic Lack of Running: The team arrived late to the first test in Barcelona, completing only 54 laps compared to Mercedes' 500. The issues persisted in Bahrain, with Stroll managing just 36 laps on the first day.
• Multiple Car Issues: Stroll identified a "combination" of problems, including the new Honda power unit, a general lack of car balance, and insufficient grip. He confirmed the engine is a "big part" of the balance issues.
• Driver Feedback: When asked about specific car behaviors like downshifts and braking, Stroll simply stated, "It’s not great at the moment, that’s for sure."
• Honda's Cautious Tone: The struggles align with recent comments from Honda's Koji Watanabe, who admitted "not everything is going well" with the 2026 engine development but insisted there were no fatal flaws.

What's next:

The clock is ticking for Aston Martin to find solutions before the season opener in Australia on March 8. Stroll was pragmatic, noting performance "doesn't fall from the sky" and requires hard work to extract from both the chassis and power unit. While he expressed confidence in the long-term tools provided by Newey and Honda, the immediate focus is on understanding and improving the current package. The Australian Grand Prix will provide the first true benchmark of whether the team can begin to close its alarming gap or if a protracted development season awaits.

summary: Lance Stroll reveals Aston Martin's AMR26 is drastically off the pace, needing to find roughly four seconds per lap. The team battles combined engine, balance, and grip issues after severely limited pre-season testing, casting doubt on its competitive form despite the high-profile arrivals of Adrian Newey and Honda. categories: [