As it is revealed that Honda introduced its second ADUO upgrade in Spain, Lance Stroll admits that it has made no difference.

In a bid to level the playing field, especially in terms of the Japanese manufacturer, Honda has been allowed two upgrades under the ADUO system.

While the first was introduced at Zandvoort, where, despite the fanfare, it appeared to make little difference, the second was quietly introduced at the Madring weeks later.

"We used both of them," Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe admitted in Sepang today, when asked why his company has only used one of its permitted upgrades.

"We introduced the first ADUO upgrade in the Netherlands," he continued, "and then we put a PU incorporating the second update into Lance Stroll's car at the Spanish Grand Prix.

"The Spec 2 PU we introduced in the Netherlands had some drivability issues," he explained, "so we introduced an improved turbo at the Spanish Grand Prix."

The admission of a drivability issue reveals that the second upgrade was not just about performance, nonetheless, Lance Stroll was left less than impressed.

"Not much," replied the Canadian when asked what difference he felt the upgrade had made. "You know, we're really struggling on the engine side," he added. "We know that, so there's a lot of work to be done.

"We're missing two seconds in engines," he continued, "so it's difficult. Places like Baku and Monza, when you're missing two seconds in engine, there's not much you can do.

"On the car side, we know we started late compared to everyone else, development for the new regulations. We made a big step in Budapest.

"I think we have a clear direction on what we have to do with car development," he insisted, "but, you know, we're lacking between a second and two seconds, depending on the tracks, every weekend in engine. There's not much we can do with that. So, you know, right now that's really our weakness."

Some are already questioning Aston Martin's partnership with Honda, the leap forward Alpine has made courtesy of Mercedes suggesting that the Silverstone-based outfit jumped the gun.

"I think the car is going to get a lot better," said Stroll. "We have a plan, a good direction. We know what we have to do to put downforce on the car and all that stuff.

"The big question mark's the engine," he admitted. We don't know how we're going to be in the beginning of '27, so we'll see. But yeah, excited for another trip around the world.

"Right now we're working together to get it right. We have some ideas for next year, so hopefully we're in a much better spot. Honda's pushing flat-out, doing everything they can to bring more power. So, time will tell if we do. It's a question mark. We'll see the first race next year.

"But I think there's definitely a very bright future," he insisted. "The team is in a good spot. I think we made that big upgrade in Budapest to improve the car a huge amount, so we have a clear direction on what we have to do. I think it's very exciting for everyone."