Lance Stroll myth debunked in the midst of DNF-laden F1 2026

AUSTIN – 11 retirements, one non-classified and just one race distance completed all season. Those are the statistics that tell the story of Lance Stroll’s difficult 2026 F1 campaign.

But don’t for a minute question his work ethic and motivation to see Aston Martin improve, says Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack.

Mike Krack explains why Lance Stroll remains motivated

This year’s championship has been a trying one for Aston Martin and its new engine partner, Honda.

The team has scored just seven points this season, all courtesy of Fernando Alonso, while Stroll has yet to get off the mark.

The Canadian has borne the brunt of the team’s reliability woes, with his campaign starting with a non-classification at the Australian Grand Prix where he was in and out of the pits four times as Aston Martin worked to resolve various issues with the AMR26 and its power unit.

Stroll went on to retire 10 times in the next 14 races before finally completing a full race distance at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where he recorded a season’s best P12 result. Alas, the following race, Singapore, was another DNF for the Canadian.

It is no wonder Stroll has exchanged a few testy words with Aston Martin over team radio, and even a tense exchange with a marshal in Baku after he retired with a water pressure issue.

But Krack says it has done nothing to lessen Stroll’s motivation or affect his work ethic.

“I can give you an example,” Krack told the media in Austin.

“On Tuesday, which is two days ago, he was on the simulator for almost the entire day. Not only working on the next car, but preparing this event and even going into some different directions.

“What would he need in terms of how the car feels and all that.

“So I think that is the right answer.

“So you know, it shows you that despite the issues we were having or the difficulties that we were having, there is strong motivation to do that.”

Fernando Alonso vs Lance Stroll: Aston Martin F1 2026 scores

F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates

F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates

Stroll will continue alongside Alonso next season, with Aston Martin fielding an unchanged line-up for the fifth successive season.

“To be honest, that has never been a big distraction for us as a team,” he said of the teammates continuing.

“It certainly helps you speaking about next year’s car, developing what I just mentioned in terms of simulator, that is helping in terms of openness and everything.”

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