Aston Martin finally on track: this is the reason for the late start to the test

Aston Martin did not have Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll’s new car ready in time to take part in the test right away. The fact that they made the test at all is, according Mike Krack, an achievement in itself.

Aston Martin’s patience was rewarded. Ultimately, an hour before the end of the fourth day of testing, Lance Stroll was able to take the AMR26 onto the track for the first time. A significant delay compared to the competition.

Aston Martin with many changes in 2026

There is no panic for Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s Chief Trackside Officer. The Luxembourger points out that there have been so many changes within the team that it took longer to bring everything together and, as a result, they missed the start of the test.

“We obviously are in a bit unique situation. We welcome Honda, our new power unit partner. We have made our first gearbox in very many, many years, [and] pair that with new chassis regulations, new power unit regulations,” said Krack.

Photo: Aston Martin

Aston Martin is no longer a Mercedes customer team, and that has consequences.

“It's a huge change for us as a team to be a works team, a factory team together with these regulations. Then we have Adrian [Newey] on board, so it's all very exciting and a lot of change.

"And then Formula One is not waiting for you, so you have to be ready. And we were now a little bit late, but we made it to this test, so I think we can be proud and happy of that achievement," he concluded.

Follow Day 5 of the Barcelona pre-season test here!

Check out the latest episode of GPblog's F1 Paddock Update here!

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.

Don't forget to follow us on Spotify as well!