The Belgian Formula 1 GP is another race with strong pressure on Aston Martin, and with a rather bleak forecast for Spa-Francorchamps. Lance Stroll believes the Belgian round could represent the lowest point of the season for the British team, which places its hopes on a major upgrade package planned for Hungary.
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After nine rounds marked by performance and reliability issues, the team sees the upcoming weekend as a tough obstacle to overcome. The Belgian circuit, known for demanding energy efficiency and straight-line speed, exposes some of the main limitations of the 2026 car.
Aston Martin’s problems began at the start of the championship in Australia, when strong vibrations in the Honda power unit compromised the team’s start to the year. Although the situation was controlled, results remain well below expectations, with only one point scored so far, while the team has also faced difficulties against the newcomer Cadillac.
At the British GP, the scenario was especially complicated, with Fernando Alonso and Stroll finishing in the last positions among the cars that took the checkered flag. Given this outlook, the Canadian did not hide his pessimism for the race at Spa.
“We know Spa will be really tough and probably the worst circuit of the year for us. It should be a very complicated race, and we hope Budapest represents a big performance gain. We need to be patient until the upgrades arrive. We hope they bring a lot of performance,” said Stroll.
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The team’s expectations are focused on the Hungarian GP, where a long-awaited chassis upgrade will be introduced. Unlike gradual development throughout the championship, Aston Martin chose to concentrate its efforts on a more robust package, in an attempt to change the course of the season.
New developments related to the power unit are also planned for after the August break. According to Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s track general manager and chief engineer, there are only ‘two more races’ left for the use of the current engine specification.
Alonso, in turn, emphasized that the changes planned for Hungary need to represent just the beginning of a broader rebuild: “Fans want to see Aston Martin winning races and competing for championships. We will not win races this year. This is just the first step of the plan, it cannot be the last,” concluded the Spaniard, highlighting that the team needs to understand and fix the car’s aerodynamic weaknesses to build a solid foundation for 2027.
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