Lance Stroll fears that the Spa race will be Aston Martin’s toughest of 2026, as the AMR26’s weaknesses are exposed – The Canadian has admitted that Aston Martin is bracing itself for one of its most difficult weekends of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Belgian Grand Prix. He described Spa-Francorchamps as ‘probably the worst track of the year’ for the struggling AMR26.
The team’s long-awaited upgrade package is not expected to debut until the next race in Hungary, leaving Aston Martin vulnerable on one of the fastest circuits on the calendar.
The Silverstone-based team has endured a disappointing campaign after deciding to delay major development work in favour of introducing a comprehensive upgrade package later in the season.
While rivals have steadily improved through incremental updates, Aston Martin has fallen further behind the midfield battle.
Stroll expects Spa to expose the team’s biggest weakness
Spa-Francorchamps has long been regarded as one of Formula 1’s greatest challenges, combining long straights with a series of demanding, high-speed corners that reward aerodynamic efficiency and outright speed.
Unfortunately for Aston Martin, these are precisely the areas in which the current AMR26 has struggled in 2026.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Stroll admitted that the team does not expect to achieve a competitive result.
“We know that Spa will be very difficult and probably the worst track of the year for us,” he said.
“It’s likely to be quite difficult for us there.”
The Canadian’s assessment reflects the team’s growing acceptance that the car’s current specification simply lacks the performance required for circuits that heavily reward top speed and stability when cornering at high speeds.
Aston Martin is pinning its hopes on a major upgrade in Hungary
However, there is optimism that relief could be on the horizon. Team principal Adrian Newey recently confirmed that the long-awaited upgrade package will finally arrive for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Rather than following the conventional route of bringing smaller upgrades across multiple race weekends, Aston Martin has chosen to introduce one substantial package.
The revised AMR26 is expected to feature a lighter overall design, as well as a redesigned rear suspension, a new nose, and several additional aerodynamic developments created at the team’s Silverstone headquarters.
It remains uncertain whether these changes will be enough to move Aston Martin back into regular midfield contention, but the team believes the upgrade offers its best opportunity to turn around a frustrating season.
Aston Martin has taken a different development path to its rivals
While the team waited for its comprehensive update, the rest of the Formula 1 field continued to develop their cars through a steady stream of incremental improvements.
Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have introduced new components across multiple races, enabling them to extract additional performance consistently throughout the year.
This has gradually widened the gap between Aston Martin and the other teams, leaving the team increasingly exposed as the season has progressed.
Spa could be the clearest illustration yet of this deficit, before Aston Martin finally introduces its new package in Budapest.
With expectations deliberately low for Belgium, the team’s attention appears to be focused on whether the Hungary upgrade can provide the turning point that their 2026 campaign so desperately needs.
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