Aston Martin has such major engine problems that F1 drivers Stroll and Alonso will probably retire early in Bahrain so as not to risk nerve damage.
Formula 1 team Aston Martin has to expect a disaster at the start of the season. Before the first Grand Prix of the year this Sunday (5:00 a.m. CET) in Australia, team boss Adrian Newey admitted significant difficulties caused by the Honda engine.
Drive-related vibrations would “some reliability issues” cause, said the Englishman, who has earned a reputation as a design genius over the course of his career, on Thursday in Melbourne. “Mirrors fall off and so on, which we need to fix. But the much bigger problem is that the vibrations will ultimately be transmitted to the driver’s fingers.”
Adrian Newey: “We will have to limit the number of rounds”
Aston Martin only drives on the back burner. Fernando Alonso is of the opinion “that he does not do more than 25 laps in a row” fcould see “without risking permanent damage to the nerves in his hands”said Newey. Lance Stroll, the second driver, is expecting “that he cannot drive more than 15 laps before this threshold is reached.”
Lance Stroll with his Aston Martin in the gravel trap in Bahrain
For the time being, Alonso and Stroll are only allowed to drive their AMR26 in doses. “We will have to severely limit the number of laps we do in the race until we get to the bottom of the vibrations and make improvements,” Newey explained.
Fernando Alonso is optimistic
Alonso made his Formula 1 debut 25 years ago in Melbourne for Minardi. The Spaniard confirmed the effects: “At some point your hands and feet start to feel a little numb.” But he was also combative: “If we were fighting for victory, we could last three hours in the car. I face the problems.“
He also has “100 percent believe that they will solve the problems because they have already done so in the past,” said Alonso, referring to engine manufacturer Honda. This team will win the World Cup – it’s just a matter of time.”
