Lance Stroll is a driver who is traditionally beyond the driver market speculation most of his peers experience throughout the year. Owing to his father’s ownership of the team, his position at the Silverstone Team has always been secure. However, there have been whispers that Aston Martin might be reevaluating their status quo. Perhaps more accurately, Honda joining the team as an engine manufacturer in 2026 adds a new variable to the equation.
To be clear, there is still no certainty that Aston Martin is seriously considering replacing Lance Stroll. The Canadian is still widely expected to continue with the team for next season. Still, when speaking to the media in China, he was very cryptic about his future:
“Time will tell. I mean, I’m just thinking about China right now, and we’ll see what the future holds,” he explained in Shanghai.
“It’s China [the focus] this weekend.”
As pointed out by Will Buxton in the media pen, the nature of his Aston Martin contract is generally unknown. Evidently, his position within the organisation is more unorthodox than most drivers elsewhere on the grid.
With that said, Aston will have to ask big questions of themselves over the next eighteen months. When Honda powers their cars in 2026, the British outfit will transition away from being a customer team to – essentially – a manufacturer. Their partnership with the Japanese manufacturer gives them full control over their performance in Formula 1.
In combination with their new facilities, including a fresh simulator, the Silverstone-based team has all the ingredients for success. Of course, this does not guarantee success. A new campus does not guarantee that the engineers will develop a car capable of winning.
However, it undoubtedly helps the team’s efforts. To truly succeed at the highest level, Aston Martin will be competing against the likes of Hamilton, Leclerc and Verstappen at the very front. It is now the team’s decision if they feel Lance Stroll is capable of racing at the very top.
Both in the build-up to this weekend and in Thursday’s media interviews, it has been suggested that Stroll’s technical feedback is invaluable to Aston. Time will tell if the 25-year-old’s contributions are enough to earn another season with the green team.
