Aston Martin owner plays down hype before new Formula One season
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Aston Martin Formula One team owner Lawrence Stroll (left) talking with Honda chief executive officer Toshihiro Mibe at their joint press conference during their partnership launch announcement in Tokyo on Jan 20.
PHOTO: REUTERS
RIYADH – Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll has tempered expectations for the upcoming Formula One season, indicating that winning races will require time following the recent rule changes.
“We don’t really go in with expectations. We’re going to try to do the best we can,” the Canadian billionaire said on Feb 9 in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
“This set of rules is here with us for five years, so it’s not about the first race or two, it’s about the next five years.”
The most drastic changes to power regulations in years have given hope to smaller teams in 2026 that they can challenge the likes of McLaren and Red Bull.
Aston Martin finished seventh out of 10 teams in 2025 but hired star designer Adrian Newey from Red Bull, raising expectations that they could compete with the top teams.
“We started a little bit behind our competitors. Adrian only joined us in March, we didn’t get our first car into the wind tunnel until April, slightly behind our competitors,” said Stroll, as his team unveiled their new cars in Saudi Arabia.
Aston Martin’s two-time world champion driver Fernando Alonso said he plans to enjoy every second of the new season and still has not decided whether it would be his last.
Speaking to Reuters from Saudi Arabia ahead of testing in Bahrain, the 44-year-old Spaniard – the oldest driver on the F1 grid – said he remains fully motivated after a record 425 race starts.
F1 is entering a new engine era this season and Aston Martin, now a works team, are also starting over with Honda replacing Mercedes as their power unit provider. The season starts in Australia on March 8.
The AMR26 car is also the first for the Silverstone-based team under the leadership of title-winning ace designer Newey and technical guidance of former Ferrari man Enrico Cardile.
“This first year in this set of regulations will provide a lot of action and a lot of input and feedback from the driver,” said Alonso. “I think it’s going to be a very interesting season from a driver point of view.
“I feel very proud to be part of this organisation. I don’t know if it’s going to be the last (season) but, you know, my plan is to enjoy every second. And then if I make one more (season), you know, I will also be happy. So let’s see. I will do race by race.”
Alonso, who last won a Grand Prix in 2013 while with Ferrari, attained his world drivers’ titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006.
“I feel very motivated. I feel very focused into the new system. But, you know, Formula One is a dynamic sport. It keeps changing every week,” he said.
“There is not only the racing part of it, there are a lot of marketing events, a lot of commitments off-track that obviously, you know, your batteries are getting drained during the season.
“Let’s see these regulations, how they work, how easy or difficult it is to follow cars, how much action we see on track. So, you know, there are things that will play a part also in my decision for 2027.”
Meanwhile, Cadillac chief executive officer Dan Towriss said he hoped for an amicable settlement of legal action taken by Hollywood director Michael Bay over a livery launch commercial
The Athletic and Rolling Stone reported that Bay – director of big-budget hits including the first five Transformers films and Armageddon – filed a US$1.5 million (S$1.9 million) breach of contract and fraud lawsuit in Los Angeles on Feb 6, alleging the team and Towriss had used his ideas without payment. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS
