Aston Martin to drop Honda? Stroll weighs in on ‘two second’ deficit

SEPANG – Although Lance Stroll concedes the Honda’s power unit is “two seconds” per lap off the pace, the Aston Martin driver sidestepped suggestions of the team parting ways with its power unit manufacturer.

Honda returned to Formula 1 this season as a power unit manufacturer, having officially left the sport at the end of 2021 as it handed the running of its power units over to Red Bull and its Powertrain division.

Lance Stroll explains Aston Martin’s Honda power unit struggles

Enticed to return to Formula 1, Honda made a dramatic U-turn and partnered up with Aston Martin.

But as with its previous comeback with McLaren in 2015, the road has been rocky.

Blighted by reliability issues caused by vibrations from the power unit, as well as a lack of downforce with the chassis, Aston Martin scored just one point in the first 10 races of the championship before putting a B-spec car on the track in Hungary.

While that was followed by an updated power unit at the Dutch Grand Prix, Aston Martin has added just two points since Zandvoort, with five retirements in four race weekends.

While not all of the team’s retirements can be attributed to the Honda power unit, the team’s main “weakness”, according to Stroll, is the power unit.

“We’re really struggling on the engine side. We know that, so a lot of work to be done,” he said.

“We’re missing two seconds in engines, so it’s difficult.

“Places like Baku and Monza, when you’re missing two seconds in engine, there’s not much you can do. I think, you know, on the car side, we know we started late compared to everyone else, development for the new regulations. We made a big step in Budapest.

“I think we have a clear direction on what we have to do with car development, but, you know, we’re lacking between a second and two seconds, depending on the tracks, every weekend in engine.

“There’s not much we can do with that. So, you know, right now that’s really our weakness.”

Asked if Aston Martin, which is owned by his father Lawrence, could drop Honda, Stroll sidestepped the question.

“Well, right now we’re working together to get it right. We have some ideas for next year, so hopefully we’re in a much better spot,” he told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media at the Sepang circuit.

“The tracks with long straights are worse for us. You know, Budapest was probably our best race of the year, with just a lot of corners and not many straights. So yeah, you know, we have to work on the drivability stuff. That’s a big limitation for us. And then, you know, just power down the straights. So yeah, we’re pushing.”

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The Canadian, though, does concede that the Aston Martin is losing about two seconds per lap because of the Honda engine.

“We are missing two seconds an engine, so not much we can do,” he said.

Honda is, however, pushing to ensure that its 2027 power unit.

“Honda’s pushing flat out, doing everything they can to bring more power. So, time will tell if we do.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s just a question mark. We’ll see the first race next year. But yeah, you know, I think there’s definitely a very bright future. I think, you know, the team is in a good spot.

“I think we made that big upgrade in Budapest to improve the car a huge amount, so we have a clear direction on what we have to do. And that’s I think, very exciting for everyone.”

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