Lance Stroll delivers initial reaction to Adrian Newey’s first Aston Martin

It may have been just five laps, but Lance Stroll says it felt “good” to put the first laps on the Honda-powered Aston Martin AMR26.

Aston Martin joined its rivals, excluding Williams, at the Circuit de Catalunya on Day Four of the five-day pre-season shakedown, with Fernando Alonso fans reportedly seeking any vantage point possible, even taking on a hill climb, to see the newest Adrian Newey machine in action.

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It was, however, his teammate Stroll who had the honour of putting the first laps on the AMR26.

After a long day’s work preparing the car, which only arrived in Spain late Wednesday, Stroll ventured out of the garage in the final hour of Thursday’s play and covered an installation lap before heading back to the garage.

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He was back on track a short while later but came to a halt after only a handful of laps as a technical issue forced a precautionary stop.

It’s been suggested that an electrical issue, perhaps related to Honda’s new power unit, that was spotted by the track marshals by way of the car’s LED lights. Stroll was signalled to stop as a result.

But despite his short foray out on track, the Canadian says “it was feeling good”

“It felt good,” Stroll told F1TV, “nice to be back in the car after a few weeks off.

“Everyone did a good job getting the car ready. It was a long day for all the mechanics and everyone in the team, pushing flat-out to get the car ready.

“We got a few laps in at the end of the day, and it was feeling good.”

Thursday’s action, while brief, was the culmination of months of work from both Aston Martin and Honda, who has joined the Silverstone team as its engine partner.

The collaboration between the two, spearheaded by the design genius that is Newey, has Stroll excited for the season ahead.

“Big project, very complex,” he said, “a lot of hours have gone into this machine, so it was nice to get behind the wheel and get used to the new Honda power unit and these new cars.

“Exciting.”

Alonso will run the car on Friday, the final day of the shakedown.

Asked what Aston Martin’s agenda is for Friday, Stroll replied: “Just more laps, more learning. We have to learn the car, understand its strengths and weaknesses. Just collect more information on these new cars.”

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