Lance Stroll's brutal Aston Martin F1 takedown: 'Worst piece of s*** I’ve ever driven'

Lance Stroll looks on at Aston Martin before the 2026 Australian Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

Aston Martin F1

Lance Stroll's brutal Aston Martin F1 takedown: 'Worst piece of s*** I’ve ever driven'

Lance Stroll has not finished a race as of yet in 2026

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 24 March 2026 19:44 Updated: 21:25

Lance Stroll's x-rated reaction to his Aston Martin F1 car following Chinese Grand Prix qualifying has been revealed.

Aston Martin's drivers have been struggling with intense vibrations within their AMR26 cars, while the team have failed to finish a single grand prix as of yet as they struggle with reliability issues.

A lot of the issues are coming from their new Honda power unit, as the new partnership has got off to a disastrous start.

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With Aston Martin currently rock bottom of the constructors' championship, Honda are working hard to try and fix some of the problems with the power unit ahead of the Japanese GP next weekend.

The Silverstone-based outfit have been completely off the pace, even when they have been able to complete a session, such as during qualifying for the Chinese GP.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was 1.7seconds off the time needed to get into Q2, while Stroll was over two seconds behind that cut off time.

And following his dismal performance in qualifying, Stroll reacted strongly over team radio, with race engineer Gary Gannon getting the worst of his ire in the aftermath of the session.

"The worst piece of s*** I’ve ever driven in my f****** life," Stroll said.

Things didn't get better come the race, by which point Stroll gave up on radio comms altogether. Not saying a single word after the formation lap until retiring on lap 10.

F1 HEADLINES: Aston Martin to swap drivers as team handed FIA lifeline

Can Aston Martin turn things around?

It looks likely that Aston Martin will soon have a new team principal, with managing technical partner Adrian Newey having been taking on that role since the end of 2025.

Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley has left his job with immediate effect after just two races of the 2026 season, and his departure came ahead of a widely expected move to Aston Martin, although it's unclear how much gardening leave he will have to take.

This potential move would allow Newey to focus on what he does best, car design, with Newey-designed cars having claimed 26 world championships across the years.

That would be great news for Aston Martin in terms of their radical car design and trying to bring upgrades to the AMR26, but there's no doubt that they need a better power unit from Honda.

The first Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) period for Honda is currently scheduled to fall after the Monaco Grand Prix, but could be brought forward following the cancellation of the two race weekends in April.

ADUO provides a safety net for struggling power unit manufacturers, allowing them to introduce upgrades.

Time will tell as to whether Aston Martin and Honda can sort out their issues and become a points-scoring outfit once more.

F1 Aston Martin Fernando Alonso Lance Stroll Honda