Lance Stroll reveals big issue that has ‘disappointed’ Aston Martin

Lance Stroll has now opened up on a big issue that has ‘disappointed’ Aston Martin throughout the 2024 Formula 1 season after enduring one of his worst terms so far.

Next year just cannot come quick enough for Stroll or Aston Martin with only this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix left to go now. The Silverstone squad are guaranteed to finish the year fifth in the constructors’ championship – barring a miraculous weekend for Alpine or Haas.

This year has not been the season that Stroll or Fernando Alonso would have wanted, either, with the former only 13th in the drivers’ standings and the latter in a secure ninth place. The two-time champion cannot be caught and he cannot move up with Alonso scoring 68 points.

Lance Stroll laments Aston Martin’s failure with ‘disappointing’ upgrades

Stroll has scored just 24 points so far this year ahead of the season-finale at Yas Marina. The Canadian’s plight leaves him mixing it with Haas and Alpine drivers, whilst even seeing Aston Martin sit fifth in the constructors’ standings facing a 354-point deficit to the top four teams.

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But a consistent trend throughout the season has even helped Stroll to endure his worst run of results in Formula 1 ever after not scoring a single point in the past 10 rounds. Stroll rues Aston Martin’s failure to add any upgrades to their car that improved their package this year.

Aston Martin are using the same package at the Abu Dhabi GP that they used back in round four of the 24 at the Japanese Grand Prix, having seen their four major sets of upgrades fail. Now, the Silverstone squad are focusing on next term and arriving in Australia ready to fight.

Stroll told the media before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this Thursday: “It’s really just about next year, and hitting the ground with a new and better car philosophy. I think that’s what we are all kind of looking forward to now.

“We know that this year we brought a lot of updates that were disappointing in the end and we didn’t keep them on the car. We’re still on the package from the fourth race of the season and we’ve brought four upgrades since then, and they’ve all disappointed us.

“So, it’s really now just about focusing on next year and getting a good winter’s work in to hit the ground in a much stronger position [from the] beginning on next season.”

Aston Martin must find a solution for their inability to produce beneficial upgrades

Stroll lamenting Aston Martin’s inability to bring upgrades to their car that actually improve their package is a worrying admission for the Silverstone squad. It was a similar scenario for Aston Martin in 2023 when Alonso’s scintillating start to the season carried their campaign.

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Upon arriving from Alpine to replace Sebastian Vettel, Alonso scored six podiums in his first eight Grands Prix for Aston Martin alone. But, apart from two further top three finishes last year, he has not returned to the rostrum and Alonso’s best result in 2024 is P5 in round two.

What kicked off as a ‘dream’ start to life at Aston Martin for Alonso turned to ‘hurt’ in 2023 as their rivals improved with upgrades but they did not. Now, 2024 has yielded another run of disappointing upgrades that Aston Martin must find a fix for to bounce back next season.