Aston Martin F1 team set for 'quantum leap' at Canadian Grand Prix after Honda breakthrough

Photo: © IMAGO

Canadian Grand Prix

Aston Martin set for 'quantum leap' at Canadian Grand Prix after Honda breakthrough

Aston Martin and Honda are still finding their feet in F1

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 18 May 2026 09:42

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Things could finally be looking up for Aston Martin and their F1 power unit partners Honda as the Japanese giants are said to have made a major 'breakthrough' ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

The F1 2026 calendar will resume with the fifth round and third sprint event of the new regulations era at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve next weekend, providing yet another opportunity for those on the backfoot to bring in some vital points.

And there's no team who are further behind than Aston Martin, who even with F1 legend Adrian Newey among their ranks, are currently joint-last with brand new squad Cadillac in the constructors' standings.

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The Silverstone squad took a significant step forward last time out when driver duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both managed to cross the line at the Miami Grand Prix, marking the first time this season both Aston Martins have completed a full-length race.

But don't let this small improvement delude you, Aston Martin still have a long way to go to be in with a chance of finishing in the points anytime soon.

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Considering the goals that team owner Lawrence Stroll set out when he announced the blockbuster signing of Newey as managing technical partner, Aston Martin are currently a long way off the mark.

Despite the Miami GP marking a step in the right direction earlier this month, Aston Martin notably failed to bring any upgrades to the fourth round of the championship despite there being a five-week break between the previous race and the first stateside event of the year.

F1 pundit and former driver Karun Chandhok even noted Aston Martin's lack of upgrades last time out in a recent episode of the Sky Sports podcast, adding that anyone he speaks to from the British-based squad, 'just looks depressed and deflated'.

But according to the Italian edition of Motorsport.com, the next round in Canada could see a refreshed version of the Aston Martin F1 team.

A recent report from the Italian publication read claimed that work on the engine and dyno in Japan along with fine tuning of electronics at Sakura have produced a 'quantum leap' that should give Newey's team a significant boost at the Canadian Grand Prix.

This is due to the upgrades assisting with the traction of the car which will be highly useful at a track as stop/start as the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

"Meanwhile, the engine and gearbox have been running on Honda's dyno in Japan, and the fine-tuning of the electronics at Sakura should allow for a quantum leap in Montreal, a track that emphasises stop-and-go capabilities and where traction plays a role in performance. Will this be the first (small) turnaround?"

When is the F1 Canadian Grand Prix?

The race weekend begins on Friday May 22 and runs through Sunday May 24 with the actual Grand Prix taking place on the Sunday. Here are timings in both local Montreal time and the UK (BST) equivalent:

2026 Canadian Grand Prix schedule and dates

2026 Canadian Grand Prix Schedule
Session	Day	Date	Local time (Montreal)	UK time (BST)
Practice 1	Friday	May 22, 2026	12:30	17:30
Sprint Qualifying	Friday	May 22, 2026	16:30	21:30
Sprint	Saturday	May 23, 2026	12:00	17:00
Qualifying	Saturday	May 23, 2026	16:00	21:00
Race	Sunday	May 24, 2026	16:00	21:00

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography

F1 Aston Martin Canadian Grand Prix Honda Circuit Gilles Villeneuve