Lance Stroll Reveals How Much Aston Martin Is Losing Due to Honda Engine

Pulse Sports Team 02:51 - 02 October 2026

It is no secret that Honda has produced the weakest power unit in Formula 1 in 2026, effectively derailing Aston Martin's campaign. Beyond its lack of performance, the Honda unit has also proved to be the most fragile, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll suffering a combined 16 retirements across the opening 15 rounds.

Aston Martin's chassis has also fallen short of expectations, even after substantial upgrades introduced over the summer. While the Silverstone-based outfit already has a roadmap to develop the car for 2027, the Honda power unit remains the major question mark. Speaking to the media ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend, Stroll revealed that the engine deficit is costing Aston Martin up to two seconds per lap.

"I think the car will improve a lot. We have a plan, a good direction. We know we need to add downforce and everything else. I think the big question mark remains the engine. We don't know where we'll be at the start of 2027, so we'll see," Stroll said. "We're missing two seconds from the engine, so it's tough. At places like Baku and Monza, when you're two seconds down, there's not much you can do. On the car side, we know we started working on the new regulations late compared to everyone else. "We took a big step in Budapest. I think we have a clear direction on what we need to change on the car, but we're missing a second or two from the engine every weekend, depending on the circuit. There isn't much we can do, so right now that's our main weakness. "Tracks with long straights are the worst for us. Budapest was probably our best race this year with plenty of corners and few straights. So yes, we need to work on drivability—that's a big limitation for us—and then simply straight-line power."