Aston Martin misery hits new heights upon F1 return

Aston Martin's dismal start to the F1 season has continued at the beginning of the Miami Grand Prix weekend, despite five weeks off to remedy the issues with the AMR26 and its Honda power unit.

Lance Stroll was unable to submit a lap time during sprint qualifying in the Sunshine State, with team-mate Fernando Alonso over 10 seconds from progressing into SQ2, with his lap time unrepresentative and outside the 107% threshold.

The Canadian stopped on track during the session, but was able to get going again. However, he flatspotted his tyres and was out of his car as the clock ticked down.

Therefore, both drivers are at the mercy of the stewards, who now must decide if they will permit the pair to start the sprint at the Miami International Autodrome.

It was a slow start to the weekend for the Silverstone-based squad, too, with neither driver emerging from the pits for some time at the beginning of practice due to a power issue in the garage.

When they did get going, Stroll was slowest, but Alonso could muster up an effort to go P19 in the extended, 90-minute session.

During the F1 spring break, considerable work was undertaken at Honda's Sakura base to alleviate the vibration issues that have been emanating from the power unit's battery, with further countermeasures implemented.

However, it has not completely fixed the problem — nor has the team brought any chassis updates for the car to Florida.