Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Jenson Button warned that Aston Martin will not be learning ‘anything’ from limited track time.
The opening weekend of the 2026 Formula 1 season is underway at the Australian Grand Prix, but the situation is still bleak at Aston Martin.
In the first Practice session at Albert Park, Lance Stroll completed three laps, with teammate Fernando Alonso not exiting the garage for the opening session of the year due to power unit issues.
However, in the afternoon Practice session, both Stroll and Alonso were able to set lap times, but both drivers were over four seconds behind Oscar Piastri, who topped the session.
Aston Martin boss Adrian Newey reveals Honda only have two operational batteries left
Will Aston Martin make the start of the Australian Grand Prix?
Jenson Button calls for ‘patience’ for Aston Martin
During the Sky Sports coverage before the second Practice session, Aston Martin ambassador, Jenson Button, discussed the team’s situation in Australia.
The 2009 Formula 1 world champion has admitted that Aston Martin will not be learning anything or gaining any data towards fixing their issues from the minimum running.
But he insists there needs to be some patience for the Silverstone-based team, who are ‘working very hard to improve’.
Button said, “It is not an easy position for Aston Martin. Coming into this season, there is a lot of excitement for every team with regulation changes, and trying to do the best they can with the changes.
“Adrian Newey is designing the car, and it is a works Honda team. But it has not gone the way they initially expected it to. I think when you arrive here, and you are only getting three laps in the first practice, you are not learning anything. You cannot get any reliability work done if you are only doing three laps.
“It is a tough situation for them to be in, but everyone has got to be a little bit patient with the new regulations. They are working very hard to try to improve.”
Fernando Alonso is forced to sit out the first FP1 of 2026 at the Australian Grand Prix
How long will it be before Alonso loses faith in Honda?
Aston Martin suffering from vibration issues from Honda engine
The main issue that Aston Martin have been suffering with are vibrations from their Honda engine, which is, in turn, impacting the battery, not allowing it to reach maximum charge.
With the vibrations in the AMR26, it is also impacting the drivers, as Alonso believes he can only drive for 25 laps before sustaining nerve damage, compared to Stroll, who believes it will only take 15 laps.
With the potential long-term damage to the two Aston Martin drivers, the team have reportedly begun seeking permission to skip multiple Grands Prix.
The major issues that Aston Martin is experiencing all lead back to their Honda engine, which will reportedly take months for Honda to fix.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
