Photo: Jiří Křenek / Active Pictures
Adrian Newey admits Aston Martin drivers cannot complete full race distance in Melbourne
Formula 1 2026 F1 season F1 Australia F1 Adrian Newey Aston Martin
Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey has confirmed that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will face major restrictions during the Australian Grand Prix due to severe vibrations from the Honda power unit, which could pose a risk of permanent nerve damage to the drivers’ hands.
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Aston Martin heads into the opening race of the 2026 Formula 1 season facing an unexpected and serious technical problem. According to team principal Adrian Newey, vibrations generated by the Honda power unit in the AMR26 are creating both reliability issues and potential health risks for the drivers.
During pre-season testing, the Silverstone-based team struggled to complete long runs, and the root cause appears to be excessive vibration travelling through the chassis. While some of the effects are mechanical (such as components loosening or falling off the car), the issue is also directly affecting the drivers inside the cockpit.
The vibrations are transmitted through the steering wheel and into the drivers’ hands, forcing Aston Martin to limit how long Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll can remain in the car during the race weekend.
Speaking to media ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Newey explained that the problem is far more serious than simple reliability concerns.
"The most significant problem is that vibration is transmitted ultimately into the driver's fingers. So Fernando is of the feeling that he can't do more than 25 laps consecutively before he will risk permanent nerve damage in his hands. Lance is of the opinion that he can't do more than 15 laps before that threshold," said Newey, as quoted by RacingNews365.
The vibration issue is also creating smaller but visible reliability problems across the car. According to Newey, some external components have already been affected during running.
"That vibration into the chassis is causing a few reliability problems: mirrors falling off, tail lights falling off, all that sort of thing, which we are having to address," the Aston Martin team boss explained.
Because of the situation, Aston Martin already expects that neither driver will be able to complete the full race distance at Albert Park. Instead, the team will have to manage the running very carefully until the underlying cause of the vibration is identified and fixed.
Newey also admitted that the situation has not yet been fully discussed with Honda Racing Corporation leadership, but resolving the issue quickly will be essential if Aston Martin wants to avoid further disruption early in the season.
