Austrian Grand Prix

June 28, 2026

A difficult weekend in Austria

Lance was forced to retire from the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix as a result of an ERS issue.

Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team driver Lance Stroll did not finish the Austrian Grand Prix due to a suspected ERS issue.

Two Free Practice sessions in Styria

Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team Third Driver Jak Crawford took to the track in Lance’s AMR26 for the first of the weekend’s sessions.

Lance was back in the car for FP2. He began on the Medium tyre, and after a brief Virtual Safety Car, he continued learning on the Mediums for most of the session.

When there were 20 minutes remaining, Lance pitted for a set of Softs. He concluded FP2 having gathered 32 laps of information.

During Saturday’s FP3, Lance continued learning on the Medium and Soft compounds, adding 19 laps to his total.

WATCH: 2026 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX FREE PRACTICE TWO HIGHLIGHTS

A lock up in Qualifying

Warm weather caused difficult conditions at the Red Bull Ring.

Lance was straight onto the track for Qualifying in the Syrian mountains.

He unfortunately lost time during his final lap of Q1 due to a lock up in Turn 4. This resulted in Lance having to abort the lap and being unable to improve his time.

WATCH: 2026 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING HIGHLIGHTS

An early end

Hot weather continued to create challenges during Sunday’s race, with track temperatures up to 62°C.

Lance started from P22 on Mediums and worked on ensuring his tyres stayed as cool as possible.

A Virtual Safety Car period began on Lap 25 after an incident for another driver. Lance took the opportunity to make a pitstop for Softs.

After 45 laps, Lance retired following a suspected ERS issue.

Lance’s season will continue on 3-5 July with the British Grand Prix.

WATCH: 2026 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX RACE HIGHLIGHTS

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team, said:

I felt comfortable in the car today and enjoyed my second stint as we managed the tyres well. We always knew we wouldn’t be up in the fight with anyone, but it was a good race between Fernando and myself.
Unfortunately, we had a suspected ERS issue, which we need to look into further, and had to retire the car. We know it’s a very challenging time for everyone in the team, but everybody is working as a hard as they can to bring upgrades to the car so we need to be patient and hopefully in a few races time we will be a bit more in the mix.

Red Bull Ring

FP1
FP2
FP3
Quali
Race