Lance Stroll looks on inside the Sakhir Circuit paddock — Photo: © IMAGO

Australian Grand Prix

Aston Martin issue official statement after Lance Stroll misses qualifying

Stroll didn't take to the track in Melbourne at all on Saturday

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 7 March 2026 08:24

Aston Martin F1 team have issued a statement explaining Lance Stroll's qualifying absence after the Canadian driver failed to take to the track at all on Saturday at the Australian Grand Prix.

The first round of the 2026 championship has been one to forget for Stroll so far as his father's F1 squad continue to suffer from persistent problems with their new Honda power unit.

This season marks the first year of Aston Martin's works partnership in F1 with Honda, which has coincided with a major overhaul of the chassis and power unit regulations.

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But their partnership has not gotten off to an ideal start, with team principal and managing technical partner Adrian Newey admitting that both Stroll and his team-mate Fernando Alonso had expressed fears of picking up permanent nerve damage should they attempt to complete Sunday's 58-lap Australian GP.

Both Stroll and Alonso have been forced to sit out of sessions in Melbourne this weekend due to the issues with the AMR26, with Aston Martin later confirming the reason of Stroll's qualifying absence, citing time constraints as the main problem.

A team statement released during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday read: "Lance’s car was not ready for qualifying. There was not enough time to rebuild the car after the issues this morning."

Stroll awaiting permission to race in Australian GP

Following the confirmation from Aston Martin that Stroll would not be competing in Saturday's qualifying, the FIA confirmed that the final stint of the session would be delayed after Gabriel Bortoleto's Audi abruptly stopped.

After attempting to return to the pit lane slowly, Bortoleo's new car but did not make the white line which marked the pit entry, leaving only nine cars to compete in Q3 after a chaotic first qualifying of the new campaign.

Stroll was not the only driver to suffer an absence from the action on Saturday, with Williams' Carlos Sainz also forced to sit out of qualifying having failed to get any representative running in during FP3.

Four-time champion Max Verstappen also suffered a disaster start to the 2026 campaign, crashing out just seconds into his first flying lap in Q1.

As a result, all three drivers will need to be granted permission to even take part in Sunday's grand prix.

Aston Martin Australian Grand Prix 2026 regulations Lance Stroll Honda Melbourne