Aston Martin chief Adrian Newey has suggested it’s unlikely that either of the team’s cars will be able to finish Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix due to concerns that vibrations from the wheel could cause serious damage to their drivers.
It had become clear during last month’s two pre-season testing events in Bahrain that the team were experiencing major issues with their Honda power unit, the first supplied to them in a new partnership for 2026 with the Japanese manufacturer.
The extent of the issues were laid bare on Thursday morning as Newey held a press conference with Honda executive Koji Watanabe in Melbourne, at which they revealed the power unit’s vibration problem was not only impacting the functionality of the car but also the safety of drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in Sunday’s 58-lap race.
Newey said: “Fernando is of the feeling that he can’t do more than 25 laps consecutively before he will risk permanent nerve damage to his hands. Lance is of the opinion that he can’t do more than 15 laps before that threshold.
“I think there’s no point in (not) being open and honest in this meeting (press conference) on our expectations. It’s something that unfortunately Koji and I haven’t had a chance to discuss properly prior to this meeting.
Alonso says he has experienced numbness from the vibrations of the Aston Martin
“We are going to have to be very heavily restricted on how many laps we do in the race until we get on top of the source of the vibration and improve the vibration at source.”
Along with concern for the drivers, Watanabe confirmed that Honda are also unable to run the power unit at full capacity due to the vibration issue.
Watanabe said: “During the Bahrain pre-season test, we experienced unexpected vibration, which caused damage to battery-related components of the power unit. As a result, we were unable to complete the mileage we had originally targeted.
“The engineers from Honda and Aston Martin are working closely as one team to develop and evaluate the multiple countermeasures to issue.
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Lance Stroll spins off the track after a lock-up and brings out the red flag!
“Based on extensive testing, we will introduce countermeasures, what we believe to be the most effective solution at this stage, starting this week. However, its effectiveness cannot yet be fully guaranteed under the real track condition. So certain conditions will be applied to power unit operation this week.
“Honda and Aston Martin will continue working closely together as one team, and further measures are already under consideration. So, we are not able to share the technical details, so we ask for your patience as we continue working towards unlocking our full performance potential.”
Given that Formula 1 has introduced completely new power units for the first time since 2014, with a shift towards more electrical power as the sport attempts to become more sustainable, there were expected to be teething issues.
However, it is a major shock that Honda, who powered Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to four successive championships from 2021-2024, have got it so badly wrong, while first-time engine manufacturers Red Bull and Audi appear to be competitive.
Watanabe said he was unable to give a timeline for how long it will take Honda to get their power unit to a competitive level, as he made the concerning admission that they have yet to find the “root cause” of the issue.
He added: “Of course, I want to hurry up, but at this moment, it’s quite difficult to say when and how.”
Despite what appears to be a dire situation for Aston Martin during Newey’s first season in charge, he insisted that the team retain faith in their engine supplier.
He said: “Do I believe in our partners, in Honda’s ability to bring that power up and to be competitive? Absolutely. They have a proven track record and we have total faith.”
Stroll makes ‘electrocution’ comparison | Alonso explains ‘numb’ feeling
While both Alonso and Stroll played down the level of pain the vibrations were causing them, their attempts to explain the sensations they experienced in the cockpit during testing reiterated the seriousness of the situation.
Stroll said: “I guess just like electrocute yourself in a chair or something like that, and it’s not far off. It’s a very uncomfortable vibration. It’s bad for the engine but it’s also bad for the human inside the car. We need to just get on top of it but I think we will.”
Alonso added: “The driver, we feel those as well and feel a little bit numb in the fingers and feet as well because of this low frequency all the time in the car.”
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A red flag was issued during day two of the Bahrain Test after Alonso’s Aston Martin stopped on the track.
Despite Newey setting low expectations for Sunday’s race, Alonso expressed hope that a solution found since Bahrain could enable him to make it to the chequered flag in Melbourne.
“I hope to finish the race, first of all,” he said. “It’s true that in Bahrain and Barcelona we faced these anomalous vibrations coming from the engine. I think they are understood. There were a couple of solutions on the dyno since Bahrain, so hopefully we will have a better feeling in FP1.
“I’m optimistic that after the changes they made the last week, we can have a more normal weekend. If we can finish the race unexpectedly, that would be a good first race of the year.”
Stroll added: “It all depends how much we’ve improved since Bahrain. If we still have the same vibration issues we had with the car in Bahrain, it’s going to be hard to do much more than 10-15 laps.
“If we resolved those issues the last couple of weeks, then I think we can go much further into the race. Time will tell.”
Sky Sports F1’s Australian GP schedule
Thursday March 5
9.45pm: F3 Practice
10.55pm: F2 Practice
Friday March 6
1am: Australian GP Practice One (session starts at 1.30am)*
2.55am: F3 Qualifying*
3.30am: Team Bosses Press Conference
3.50am: F2 Qualifying*
4.35am: Australian GP Practice Two (session starts at 5am)*
6.15am: The F1 Show*
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As Formula 1 enters a new era, Tate McRae’s GRAMMY-nominated Just Keep Watching will become the new title track for Sky Sports’ F1 coverage this season and beyond
Saturday March 7
0.10am: F3 Sprint*
1.10am: Australian GP Practice Three (session starts at 1.30am)*
3.05am: F2 Sprint*
4.10am: Australian GP Qualifying build-up*
5am: AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING*
7am: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook*
9.45pm: F3 Feature Race*
Sunday March 8
12.20am: F2 Feature Race*
2.30am: Australian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
4am: THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX*
6am: Australian GP reaction: Chequered Flag*
7am: Ted’s Notebook*
7.55am: Australian GP race replay*
10am: Australian GP highlights (also on Sky One)*
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
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