Lawrence Stroll will not drop Honda yet despite being left ‘on the verge of tears’ at Aston Martin

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Lawrence Stroll has no imminent plans to end Aston Martin’s relationship with Honda despite a dire start, according to the BBC’s Andrew Benson. Neither car was classified in Melbourne.

Lance Stroll finished 15 laps down, an indication that the race was being treated as a test session. Fernando Alonso, who briefly challenged for a Q2 spot on Saturday, retired a third of the way through the race.

It sounds remarkable, but Aston Martin actually surpassed expectations with that performance. Adrian Newey had indicated before the race that mileage would be limited in the interests of the drivers’ health: the vibrations from the Honda engine were so severe that they risked permanent nerve damage.

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Lawrence Stroll focused on helping Honda rather than finding new engine partner

Aston Martin made clear at Albert Park that the onus is on Honda to make them a respectable team. They believe that Newey’s chassis is one of the top five on the grid.

Martin Brundle says Honda will need ‘six months’ to even start the turnaround. Other experts have estimated a timeline of one to two years.

This is a devastating outcome for Stroll, who had invested the best part of £1bn in the hope of making Aston Martin contenders under the new regulations. Despite signing world-class engineers like Newey, Andy Cowell and Enrico Cardile and building a new factory, the team are currently 10th in the pecking order.

• READ MORE: Adrian Newey is now ‘putting pressure on the FIA’ to grant Honda a cost cap ‘exception’

Previous reports suggested that Stroll had a ‘face like thunder’ in the F1 paddock during winter testing, but Benson characterises it as despair rather than anger. He saw the Canadian businessman ‘on the verge of tears’.

Benson suspects that Stroll has already ‘considered dropping Honda’ in favour of a different engine, a move that could end the Japanese manufacturer’s involvement in the sport. But for now, he remains focused on ‘helping Honda get on track’.

Aston Martin’s deal with Honda was described as a long-term arrangement when it was announced, and it’s unclear if there’s a way out of that deal without incurring enormous expense.

Comparisons have been made to the ill-fated McLaren-Honda reunion of 2015, which lasted three years. That deal simply wasn’t renewed upon its expiry.

‘That wasn’t a Mercedes decision’ – Toto Wolff on Aston Martin split

Aston Martin could have been racing with a Mercedes engine had they extended their partnership. A one-two finish for the works team in Melbourne appeared to confirm suspicions that the Silver Arrows have built the best engine.

Granted, customer teams McLaren, Williams and Alpine aren’t enjoying the full benefits yet, but they should unlock similar performance in time. Aston Martin may have made a critical mistake, one that even Newey can’t fix.

Asked about their separation in the team principals’ press conference last Friday, Toto Wolff indicated that Mercedes were willing to sign an extension with Aston. Alpine took the opportunity to fill the gap.

“Aston Martin was a client and a partner of Mercedes over those many years, and we still deliver engines and other components to the road car side, so that wasn’t a Mercedes decision to not go with Aston Martin,” Wolff explained.

“I think it was a conscious decision to become a works team, with Honda, with their partner Aramco, and that’s why we had to let them go.”