The next steps for Aston Martin after progress in Miami

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What is F1 TV?F1 GlossaryGet involved2026 RegulationsNewsVideosThe next steps for Aston Martin after progress in MiamiUnlockedThe transformative upgrades behind Red Bull's turnaroundAll the sports megastars at the Miami Grand PrixF1 and Sky agree new partnership across UK, Ireland, and Italy Play2:11Verstappen's Miami race start 360 amazes The Cooldown Room 12:16Top 10 Onboard Moments: 2026 Miami Grand Prix Alexander AlbonFernando AlonsoKimi AntonelliOliver BearmanGabriel BortoletoValtteri BottasFranco ColapintoPierre GaslyIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonNico HulkenbergLiam LawsonCharles LeclercArvid LindbladLando NorrisEsteban OconSergio PerezOscar PiastriGeorge RussellCarlos SainzLance StrollMax VerstappenAll Drivers Hall of FameTeamsChevron DropdownAlpineAston MartinAudiCadillacFerrariHaas F1 TeamMcLarenMercedesRacing BullsRed Bull RacingWilliamsAll TeamsFantasy & GamingChevron DropdownF1 Sim RacingFantasyF1 25F1 Manager 24F1 PredictF1 ClashF1 Members' AreaMenuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/we-must-acknowledge-that-there-is-a-big-gap-to-close-the-next-steps-for-aston-martin-as-they-make-a-decisive-step-forward.1Nf02OLh32S2bwt8K3Epwi.1Nf02OLh32S2bwt8K3Epwi"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/we-must-acknowledge-that-there-is-a-big-gap-to-close-the-next-steps-for-aston-martin-as-they-make-a-decisive-step-forward.1Nf02OLh32S2bwt8K3Epwi","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/we-must-acknowledge-that-there-is-a-big-gap-to-close-the-next-steps-for-aston-martin-as-they-make-a-decisive-step-forward.1Nf02OLh32S2bwt8K3Epwi","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/we-must-acknowledge-that-there-is-a-big-gap-to-close-the-next-steps-for-aston-martin-as-they-make-a-decisive-step-forward.1Nf02OLh32S2bwt8K3Epwi","datePublished":"2026-05-07T10:11:10.465Z","dateModified":"2026-05-07T10:11:10.465Z","headline":"‘We must acknowledge that there is a big gap to close’ – The next steps for Aston Martin as they make a decisive step forward","author":"F1","description":"Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll took the chequered flag for Aston Martin for the first time this season at the Miami Grand Prix.\n","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/v1778148627/fom-website/2026/Miami/16x9%20single%20image%20-%202026-05-07T111012.718.png"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}Fernando AlonsoLance StrollAston MartinShow more tags‘We must acknowledge that there is a big gap to close’ – The next steps for Aston Martin as they make a decisive step forwardBoth Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll took the chequered flag for Aston Martin for the first time this season at the Miami Grand Prix. Aston Martin's 2026 has been a challenge. Reliability issues and vibrations from the Honda power unit have been at the heart of their troubles but, just a few rounds into the season, they have already made huge strides despite not reaching the points – so what are the team’s crucial next steps? The Miami Grand Prix saw both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll reach the finish line for the first time this season, marking an encouraging improvement after starting the season unable to complete a full race distance. The five-week break from racing proved to be vital in helping Aston Martin find some silver linings, and with upgrades in the pipeline for later in the year, they already have a clear plan in place to fight back towards the points they crave. Unlike many other teams, Aston Martin didn’t choose to bring a host of upgrades to the Miami Grand Prix, instead spending the five-week break focusing on addressing the problems that led them to suffer an unwanted total of four retirements in Australia, China and Japan. They found themselves on the back foot straight away as a power issue in the garage delayed both cars in the extended FP1 session, but they recovered in time to partake in Sprint Qualifying where they locked out the back row of the grid. The 19-lap affair featured some spirited battles for Alonso, who improved to P15 while Stroll – who on the whole wasn’t as pleased as his team mate with their relative progress – settled for P17, crossing the line less than two seconds behind Alonso. Qualifying marked a significant achievement as they moved ahead of Cadillac in the order, with the Spaniard taking 18th just ahead of Stroll. Even more promising was their drive to the chequered flag with no detrimental reliability issues, suggesting that Aston Martin have got on top of some of their concerns from the first chunk of the season. Alonso appeared perhaps the most optimistic he has all year after he was able to extend his stint on the medium tyre before pitting for softs on Lap 41 of 57 and getting stuck into more riveting fights with those around him, eventually matching his Sprint result to finish P15. However, he took care to explain that despite the glimmer of fun, their overall performance is still a long way from where they want to be. “We are in a tough moment, but we finished the race with both cars for the very first time this year so I think there is some progress on the reliability side,” he said after the race. “The vibrations are fixed now so definitely some positives to take from Miami. “[Upcoming races] will be a challenge. It will feel repetitive because we will be at the back of the grid, but we have to stick together now with the team and wait for the second part of the year. I think after the summer break, we will bring more upgrades to the car. In the first part of the season, we will not bring any, so we put all our bets on the second half.” Stroll added that there was “not much enjoyment” for him as he was one of a couple of drivers to pit twice, eventually claiming P17. He explained that they are still struggling with “no downforce” and “no power”, but on the bright side, it does look as though their vibration-related challenges are coming to an end... When Aston Martin joined forces with engine supplier Honda and designer Adrian Newey – both of whom have previously experienced fantastic success, particularly with Red Bull – they couldn’t have predicted that vibrations would quickly become their biggest problem. First appearing at pre-season testing in Bahrain, the power unit caused vibrations that in turn damaged other components in the cars, contributing to their poor reliability. Fortunately, their development over the recent break has seen that problem dissipate, which Alonso confirmed after both Qualifying and the Grand Prix and labelled “a relief”. Speaking after the Miami Grand Prix, Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer, said: “HRC [Honda Racing Corporation] and Aston Martin worked very hard to bring countermeasures here. We confirmed those are working well and also, our drivers gave us positive comments. That is kind of good progress for Aston Martin and Honda. “We have completed full race distance and also Sprint race distance without any major reliability issue. That is good progress. Then our next focus point, we can focus on optimising our data setting for energy management and also drivability. There is still a lot of room to improve on our power unit. That's the next step for us.” He also explained that the collaboration between the partners was critical to implement the countermeasures as the vibrations involved both the engine and chassis. One factor that helped massively was Aston Martin leaving one of their race cars in Sakura following the Japanese Grand Prix, giving Honda the chance to confront the problem on home turf. With their most important dilemma now hopefully in the past, Aston Martin can switch their attention to improving their aerodynamic performance, which should put them on the right path to closing down their deficit to the midfield. Alongside newcomers Cadillac, they are currently the only team without a points finish to their name, although it is important to remember once again that they are yet to properly upgrade the AMR26. So, if they missed the boat with updating the car for Miami, when can we expect any changes? “I think the way, especially, we have made steps on the reliability and on the reduction of the vibration, on the improvement of drivability, I think we have already seen quite substantial upgrades so far,” Chief Trackside Officer Mike Krack said in Miami. “And we will continue to work on that line, so I will not get drawn into the next race, the race after, whatever is going to come. “But I think we have shown that we had a lot of problems when the season started – extraordinary problems, but I think the speed in how they were resolved was quite remarkable. I think we can count on getting more. But we also must acknowledge that there is a big gap to close, and this will not be the work of a week. “I think you have to acknowledge what is the strategy and what is the plan. Our job at the track here is to get the maximum of what you have. I think we can safely say that we are not optimum on everything. “I think we did well [in Miami], but we could have done better. I think the same applies to energy, the same applies to drivability. We have a lot to extract from this package the way it is at the moment. It's important that we keep everybody motivated to work on that, and then wait for the big steps to come.” F1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited