Lance Stroll offers damning Honda verdict in Aston Martin update

Lance Stroll has delivered a blunt assessment of Honda's second ADUO engine upgrade, introduced quietly at the Madring in Spain, while expressing cautious optimism over Aston Martin's chassis direction for 2027.

The Canadian, who has been confirmed at the Silverstone-based outfit for next season, said he expects the AMR27 to mark a clear step forward on the aerodynamic side.

But he admitted the power unit situation remains the biggest unknown heading into the new regulations cycle.

Honda's second Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities package was fitted to Stroll's car in Spain, following the first ADUO update introduced at Zandvoort in August, which focused on reshaping the combustion chamber and pre-chamber and reducing internal friction through a revised lubrication system.

That update arrived after Honda was found to be trailing the leading internal combustion benchmark by more than four per cent, qualifying the manufacturer for two additional in-season upgrades under the FIA's concession mechanism.

Aston Martin's own in-season progress has been more visible, with a sweeping 16-part upgrade at the Hungaroring in July bringing a reprofiled nose, revised floor and diffuser, and a reworked rear wing aimed at unlocking more underfloor performance and allowing higher rear ride heights.

That work, although a clear step forward, has yet to translate into consistent results, with the team languishing tenth in the constructors' standings on seven points.

Asked what he has been told about the 2027 car, Stroll struck an upbeat tone over the chassis.

"I think the car is going to get a lot better," he told media, including RacingNews365. "We have a plan, a good direction.

"We know what we have to do to put downforce on the car and all that stuff. I think the big question mark is the engine.

"We don't know how we're going to be in the beginning of '27, so we'll see..."

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Stroll: 'A lot of work to be done' with Honda

That uncertainty hardened into criticism when Stroll was pressed on whether the Madring update, Honda's second ADUO intervention of the season, had moved the needle.

"Not much," he replied. "You know, we're really struggling on the engine side. We know that, so a lot of work to be done."

Honda has already undergone an internal reshuffle in response to the shortfall, with Yoichiro Fukao placed in charge of the programme at the start of October.

The manufacturer has acknowledged its power unit development was delayed by roughly two years due to a late decision to re-enter Formula 1 as a works supplier, leaving it chasing rivals on the FIA's ADUO index.

Whether that restructuring, combined with the regulatory shift toward a higher combustion-to-electrical fuel-flow ratio in 2027, will be enough to close the gap remains an open question.