Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey has revealed a health crisis ahead of the Australian Grand Prix: severe vibrations from the new Honda engine are risking permanent nerve damage to drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
The vibrations are so intense they are shaking parts off the car and numbing the drivers’ extremities. Newey warned that Alonso can likely only manage 25 consecutive laps, while Stroll is limited to 15, before reaching a dangerous threshold for their hands and fingers.
Drivers report numbness in hands and feet; vibrations are transmitted directly through the steering.
Reports suggest the Honda unit is 50kw (67bhp) down on electrical power compared to rivals like Audi and Red Bull-Ford.
Engine issues forced the lowest mileage of any team in testing, with vibrations currently threatening the hybrid system’s batteries.
Newey estimates the car is currently the fifth-fastest, trailing the leaders by up to a full second per lap.
“We are going to have to be very heavily restricted on how many laps we do,” Newey admitted. While he maintains “total faith” in Honda’s long-term ability to recover, the team enters the season opener in survival mode, focused more on driver safety than the podium.
