Learnings in The Land Down Under

Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team driver Lance Stroll did not classify in the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.

A new era of Formula One began in Melbourne, with challenges for the AMR26.

First impressions in Free Practice

Lance got out on track early into Free Practice One. He ran three laps on the Hard tyre, but unfortunately, an issue with the PU meant he wasn't able to complete any additional running during the session.

The team investigated the issues ahead of FP2, and Lance was able to get back out on track. Running the Soft tyre for the whole of the session, Lance completed a total of 14 laps.

The following day, he was unable to participate in FP3 due to an ICE issue.

WATCH: 2026 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX FP2 HIGHLIGHTS

Unable to Qualify

Unfortunately, the issues earlier in the day with the AMR26 meant the team were unable to rebuild the car in time for Qualfying. As a result, Lance did not set a time. However, he was allowed to compete in the race.

WATCH: 2026 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING HIGHLIGHTS

Collecting data

Beginning the Australian Grand Prix from P17, Lance opted to complete his first stint on the Medium tyre. Due to issues with the AMR26, the session was used as a chance to learn as much as possible about the car in preparation for future race weekends.

A Virtual Safety Car on Lap 12 provided an opportunity to lose less time in the pitstop, so Lance took the chance and switched onto the Hard compound.

His second stop came at the end of Lap 27. Lance pitted for Soft tyres, allowing him to gather valuable information across all three tyre compounds.

With over half of the race completed, Lance briefly retired to check the car over in the garage. He returned to the track during the closing stages, 12 laps behind, and pitted for Soft tyres for some final data collection before his race concluded.

WATCH: 2026 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HIGHLIGHTS

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

"It was good to get some kilometres in the car today, especially after missing pretty much all the track running this weekend. We used the race as a learning session and stopped for several laps to check things over in the garage before heading back out. There's still quite a bit missing in terms of performance and reliability, but the laps we managed today should give us a bit more direction going into China."