Aston Martin finds pace without new AMR26 parts

Aston Martin showed its clearest sign of progress at the Canadian Grand Prix without bringing any major FIA-listed upgrades, with the team’s step coming instead from finally improving the AMR26’s drivability, vibration control and power-unit behavior.

That mattered because the car had spent the opening phase of 2026 fighting more basic problems than outright development. FIA submission documents indicated no major changes to the AMR26 in Canada, but Aston Martin’s gains were tied to optimization work after early-season vibration issues had to be addressed before the team could properly build on the package.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin driver, gave the strongest description of what had changed after Montreal. “We have been faster, I was more connected with the car. In setup, car balance, engine, distribution and gearbox. Everything has improved,” he said. None of those gains appeared as new visible parts on the update list, but together they pointed to a car that had become easier to drive and more consistent over a lap.

There were encouraging signs on the Honda side as well. Shintaro Orihara, HRC site leader, said Canada passed without major trouble from the power-unit side. “No major problems occurred in Canada and everything went smoothly from the power-unit perspective,” he said. Orihara added that Honda had “confirmed positive signs” while continuing to work on energy deployment and drivability as it waits for an additional development opportunity.

The improvement is still relative, not transformative. Alonso started 19th in Montreal and briefly fought near the top 10 before retiring on lap 23 because of a seat issue. On the other side of the garage, Lance Stroll endured a difficult home race and finished 15th. He said after the weekend that the team still lacked straight-line pace and grip, and summed up the broader shortfall more bluntly: “We need more downforce and power.”

That is why Canada looked more like proof of a direction than a breakthrough. Alonso had already felt the same package was quicker in Montreal than it had been in Miami, and the team’s own reading is that it is now extracting more from what it already has rather than racing with a fundamentally stronger car.

A bigger change is expected later in the summer. Stroll said Aston Martin has a major chassis update planned for Spa-Francorchamps or the following race, while cautioning that it will not suddenly put the team at the front. Until then, Monaco shapes as the next meaningful test, because its low-speed layout should reduce the penalty of Aston Martin’s engine weakness and show whether the gains in balance, energy use and drivability are real enough to carry into a very different kind of circuit.