Aston Martin arrived at Zandvoort with Honda’s promising new power unit bolted to the back of the team’s recently updated AMR26 chassis, hoping the combo might finally give Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll something resembling a competitive Formula 1 car.
Alas, the revamped package proved disappointing in terms of performance based on Saturday’s qualifying results.
Both drivers were dumped out in Q1, with Alonso 18th and Stroll 19th, leaving the team’s highly anticipated upgrade package looking rather less transformative than the hype surrounding it in Hungary suggested.
Honda’s new-spec power unit has added little of the performance Aston desperately needs – and, according to Stroll, has introduced a fresh dose of unpredictability.
When asked if the updated Honda unit offered a noticeable leap forward, Stroll scoffed at the suggestion.
“Not so much, I think. Maybe a bit, but not nearly enough,” commented the Canadian.
“On the chassis side, I think we're quite good. We made a big step in Budapest. The drivability and the power is the next thing we need to really work on.”
©Aston Martin
Pressed further on how the car actually feels out on track, the Canadian offered an unfiltered critique of Honda’s lack of refinement.
“Not good, not good. It's a lottery,” Stroll added. “Right now, we're just not getting the consistent engine braking, going into the corner and a lot of rejected downshifts. So, yeah, a lot of issues.”
Waiting on a miracle from Japan
Across the garage, Fernando Alonso didn't fare much better, the Spaniard outpacing his teammate by 0.168s in Q1.
The double world champion nevertheless took a more diplomatic, albeit equally damning, line regarding the timeline for fixes, effectively writing off the current weekend and deferring all hope to the next round.
“Unfortunately, here on the track side, there is not much we can do,” said Alonso, who complained of power unit issues after Friday’s sprint qualifying.
“We need to rely on some big changes in the factory or software or whatever is needed. This has to come from Japan, so it's not from one day to the next.
It's more towards Monza where we need to find another step there. There are a couple of tenths to optimise in the package.”
The lingering irony is that Aston Martin showed genuine glimpses of life just before the summer break. The Hungary B-spec package yielded Alonso’s first Q2 appearance of 2026 and handed Stroll his strongest race result of the season.
Yet, any illusion of momentum has evaporated in the Dutch coastal wind, proving that no matter how good the chassis is, a lottery of an engine will leave you empty-handed every time.
And until that lottery starts paying out, Aston Martin's drivers appear destined to keep going nowhere fast.
Read also: Alonso singles out new Honda power unit for Sprint Qualifying miss
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