One day before the Formula 1 2026 season starts in Australia, Aston Martin is the most talked about team for all the wrong reasons: Adrian Newey revealed that the chassis vibrations caused by the Honda engine are dangerous for drivers, and they can only do 15 or 25 laps without risking a permanent damage in their nerves.
Fernando Alonso, however, added a bit more nuance: he says it is not painful and not difficult to control the car: "The adrenaline is just way higher than any pain. If we were fighting for the win, we can do three hours in the car. Let's be clear", the 44-year-old Spaniard said (via Motorsport).
Alonso said that the adrenaline "overcomes anything when you are in the car", but described the vibrations as "unusual", something that "shouldn't be there": "a little bit numb, I think is the word, on your hands or your feet", the driver described. "We feel our body with this frequency of the vibrations that you feel after 20 or 25 minutes."
Meanwhile, his teammate Lance Stroll described it as "being electrocuted", and according to Newey, he can't take more than 15 laps before feeling discomfort.
"100% faith that Honda will fix it", says Fernando Alonso
According to Motorsport, Alonso prefers to be diplomatic with Honda, remembering the recriminations between Alonso, McLaren, and Honda with the failed engines in 2015: "Every day in Sakura they try to find solutions. Some of the solutions are implemented on the car now. I have 100% faith that Honda will fix the problems because they did it already in the past. They will always be competitive and a top engine in Formula 1".