Lance Stroll points to ‘very broken’ Aston Martin after triple FIA penalty
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll has had a few run ins with the FIA over the course of his F1 career
Lance Stroll has claimed the unpredictable “behaviour” of his Aston Martin resulted in his triple FIA penalty for track limits at the British Grand Prix.
And he says the current-spec AMR26 is “very broken” aerodynamically ahead of the team introducing a major upgrade package at the Hungarian Grand Prix later this month.
Lance Stroll explains triple FIA penalty at British Grand Prix
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Stroll was the last of the classified finishers at Silverstone last weekend, coming home a distant 19th.
As reported by PlanetF1.com on Monday, the Canadian was hit with three penalties for track limits in the space of nine laps.
Under F1’s rules, drivers are allowed three track limits ‘strikes’ before receiving a five-second penalty for every breach thereafter.
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Three additional strikes between Laps 33 and 42 saw Stroll hit with a trio of five-second penalties, leaving him with six in total over the course of the 52-lap race.
Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets, Stroll admitted it was difficult to remain within track limits given the unpredictable handling of the AMR26.
Asked if he agreed with the penalties, Stroll replied: “Maybe, I guess.
“We had a lot of understeer in the race and the car’s very broken, so it’s even hard to stay within the track limits.
“A lot of different behaviour every lap, every corner.
“Just a challenging race. The whole year has been so far.”
Asked to clarify if he meant the car was broken physically during the race, he added: “No, just aerodynamically very broken.”
Footage from Stroll’s car at the British Grand Prix showed him applying a large amount of steering lock through some corners, including Copse and the Maggotts/Becketts section.
Put to him that he was still pushing hard despite the limitations of the car, he replied: “Yeah, for sure!
“Out there racing and pushing, so I’m always trying to give it everything I can.”
Aston Martin’s poor start to the F1 2026 season has led to a rethink in the way the team approaches car development under team principal Adrian Newey.
Unlike other teams, which have brought regular updates so far this season, Aston Martin has opted to focus on a larger package in the hope of making a considerable step forward before the summer break.
Newey confirmed last week that the new-look AMR26 will debut in Hungary later this month, with the legendary designer expecting a “large step” in performance.
The Aston Martin boss also revealed the first details of the upgrade, with the Silverstone outfit targeting a significant reduction in weight with its B-spec car.
The chassis and gearbox architecture are both set to be lighter from Budapest, with revisions also set to be made to the rear suspension, nose and aerodynamic surfaces.
Aston Martin’s upgrade will be followed by an update to the Honda power unit at the Dutch Grand Prix, the first race after the summer break.
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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