Aston Martin Disaster: who is behind it?
The 2026 pre-season tests turned out to be a real nightmare for Aston Martin, which will soon appear on the Melbourne circuit with many doubts about the car’s reliability and the new Honda power units. In the Silverstone team, tension is already high, and the green light has not yet turned on. The technical difficulties encountered are evident, but behind the scenes, the one who is generating the biggest problems within the team seems to be the man at the top of the British outfit: Lawrence Stroll.
Read more From harvesting to derating: the vocabulary of new engines
Ralf Schumacher’s opinion
This, at least, is the opinion expressed by former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, now a television pundit for Sky Deutschland. In the same broadcaster’s podcast, Backstage Boxengasse, Michael’s brother cast strong doubt on the management of the team by Lance’s father, despite the not-so-distant positive feelings that arose following the significant investments completed and the full-time arrival of designer Adrian Newey, who also holds the role of Team Principal: “I have to say it: we are not always the biggest supporters of the entire project – Schumacher explained – and sometimes I also have to say: Lawrence Stroll has his own way of doing things. He doesn’t talk to anyone. You see him, he rarely gives interviews. But he hasn’t earned it, not even in his dreams. Obviously he creates a big problem within the team. I believe Lawrence is under enormous pressure because he behaves more or less like an autocrat. I’m curious to see if he can withstand the pressure from investors, because apparently he makes the decisions alone.”
Read more Toyota Celica, the return of the coupe is approaching
Internal tension
A moment of strong crisis that occurred at a critical time for the team, which is not making the hoped-for steps forward despite the facilities and signings. A situation that, in the event of a failure to recover, could generate further tension also and especially with the drivers: “Aston Martin is currently moving sideways rather than forward – the 50-year-old continued – now it’s a very dramatic start. I can only hope that Stroll has made good decisions, and that others give him and the team time, including Adrian Newey. Now, especially, they must avoid destroying each other internally. This will be a great test of patience. Alonso is presumably in his last year and will be anything but happy; on the contrary, he will be enormously frustrated. We also know about Lance: he is not one to stay cheerful when things don’t go his way. Apparently there have been quite a few heated discussions. Adrian is obviously very disappointed with the whole situation, no doubt. He had imagined all this in a more beautiful way. The pressure is high.”
Read more Thailand Practice, Quartararo is only 16°: “But we gave our all”
