Aston Martin not targeting race wins for now

Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll has tempered expectations for the upcoming Formula One season, indicating that winning races will require time following the recent rule changes.

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Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll and Honda chief Toshihiro Mibe at their partnership launch announcement in Tokyo on Jan 20. The Japanese company replaces Mercedes as the power unit provider.

(PHOTO: REUTERS)

“We don’t really go in with expectations. We’re going to try to do the best we can,” the Canadian billionaire said on Feb 9 in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

“This set of rules is here with us for five years, so it’s not about the first race or two, it’s about the next five years.”

The most drastic changes to power regulations in years have given hope to smaller teams in 2026 that they can challenge the likes of McLaren and Red Bull.

Aston Martin finished seventh out of 10 teams in 2025 but hired star designer Adrian Newey from Red Bull, raising expectations that they could compete with the top teams.