Aston Martin arrives at the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula 1 under pressure after a difficult start in 2026. Even so, Lance Stroll showed confidence in Adrian Newey and stated that the Brit is “the right person” to develop the team’s ideal car.
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The British team’s performance in the first four rounds was well below expectations. The team has yet to score points in 2026 and faced serious vibration problems with Honda’s new engine in the races in Australia, China, Japan, and Miami.
In fact, in the United States, the Japanese manufacturer took measures to reduce the problem, something Fernando Alonso had already pointed out as an important improvement. The round also marked the first result with both cars crossing the finish line this year, with the Spaniard in 15th and the Canadian in 17th.
Then, in an interview with the Aston Martin website, Stroll described the characteristics of what he considers a perfect car in Formula 1 and took the opportunity to directly praise Newey, responsible for the championship-winning cars of Red Bull in the Sebastian Vettel era.
“I like a car with strong mechanical grip in slow corners and good aerodynamic grip in fast corners. I also prefer lighter cars, with good direction change and responsive front, but I want a solid rear under heavy braking. I like a car that follows the front,” he said.
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The Canadian went further by citing the models created by the multi-champion designer between 2010 and 2013. “If I had to choose examples, many of the cars designed by Adrian Newey in the Sebastian Vettel title era were almost perfect. So we have the right person for the job,” he highlighted.
Meanwhile, Honda confirmed that it now intends to focus efforts on drivability and energy management of the power unit. Shinatro Orihara, the manufacturer’s chief engineer at the track, explained that the focus in Canada will be to increase drivers’ confidence in corner entries and speed gain.
Alonso, however, pointed out another problem after Miami: the gearbox. According to the Spaniard, the behavior in downshifts and gear changes was inconsistent throughout the weekend. “This is the number one priority for Canada. With so many heavy braking zones there, we need to improve the gearbox behavior,” he stated.
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