Aston Martin experienced a curious and worrying scenario this weekend at the Formula 1 Japanese GP. After a significant improvement in the Honda engine vibrations on Friday, the problem reappeared on Saturday, frustrating the expectations of the team and Fernando Alonso.
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The Spaniard reported that the car felt ‘completely normal’ during Friday’s sessions at Suzuka, but the situation changed drastically the following day. The vibrations returned to affect the AMR26, which continues to suffer from one of the biggest technical challenges at the start of the season.
Aston Martin and Honda are working to reduce the vibrations generated by the new power unit, which have already caused damage to the batteries and concerns about the drivers’ health. Two weeks earlier, at the Chinese GP, Alonso even stated that he began to lose feeling in his hands and feet after twenty laps. On Friday in Japan, however, there was progress, and Honda reported that it collected ‘useful data to know where we should go to reduce vibrations, not only for the battery system but also for the driver’.
Even with the initial progress, the improvement did not last: “I think it is still the biggest limiting factor,” Alonso stated after the qualifying session. “Yesterday, to be honest, the car felt completely normal. Almost no vibrations, so I was very positive. This morning I got into the car and had the same vibrations as always. And we didn’t change anything, so it was a bit difficult to understand,” said the Spaniard.
The two-time champion also revealed that the team is investigating possible changes made overnight: “We are analyzing all the changes we made to see if there was something yesterday that helped with the vibrations. It seems a bit random, so let’s see tomorrow if we have a lucky day,” he added. Alonso also confirmed that it was the first time without significant vibrations, highlighting that Friday was ‘80% better’ compared to testing and the first two rounds.
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Even with the difficulties, the performance at Suzuka was weak. Aston Martin finished the qualifying session with both cars in the final positions, with Alonso and his teammate, Lance Stroll, forming the last row of the starting grid, more than 1.7s and 1.9s, respectively, behind the cut-off time for Q2.
Stroll also pointed out problems beyond the vibrations: “It’s a combination of power unit and car. We are losing a lot of time on the straights, but we also don’t have the best grip in the corners,” affirmed the Canadian. He recalled that he retired from the Chinese GP after nine laps due to a battery problem, which Honda said was not related to the vibrations.
The team’s goal remains to complete a full race for the first time this season, a task that still seems challenging: “I’m going to try to sleep well tonight and prepare,” concluded Stroll, aware that Sunday could be another tough test for Aston Martin.
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