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<\/p>\nKeedle became Piastri\u2019s performance manager and physiotherapist ahead of his title-winning F2 season in 2021.<\/p>\n
Keedle spoke with this masthead on Friday afternoon and confirmed he\u2019d received a call from Russell\u2019s manager on Tuesday asking if he was available to help. Keedle then reached out to Piastri to let him know, and the Australian star gave his blessing.<\/p>\n
As a performance coach, Keedle\u2019s job for the weekend boils down to looking after a driver\u2019s physical and mental preparation before the race, including nutrition and everything \u201coutside of the car so they can race as fast as possible\u201d.<\/p>\n
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Cardboard cutouts at Albert Park before the actual drivers hit the track. Credit: Eddie Jim<\/p>\n
\u201cI still get on really well with everyone in McLaren \u2013 they\u2019ve come up and abused me and told me I look bad in a Mercedes shirt,\u201d Keedle joked.<\/p>\n
Mercedes have emerged as one of the season\u2019s favourites after a positive test period in Bahrain, and will be hoping to qualify on the front row on Sunday.<\/p>\n
They completed a healthy number of laps during the opening session, giving the team valuable data for the remainder of the weekend.<\/p>\n
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Fernando Alonso has struggled with vibrations in the new car. Credit: AP<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a difficult first run,\u201d Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said. \u201cWhen you start under new regulations it\u2019s not unusual. There are some interesting challenges on the chassis side, but they\u2019re all surmountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Aston Martin, however, the focus is simply keeping the cars on the track.<\/p>\n
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Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were affected by the vibration issue during practice \u2014 a problem Newey admitted is at the heart of the team\u2019s early-season concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re having continuing problems with the battery,\u201d Newey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the much more underlying problem is vibration issues that we just continue to struggle with.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team trialled a different technical solution on Stroll\u2019s car as engineers scrambled to determine whether it might reduce the vibrations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some analysis going on as we speak as to whether that\u2019s helped or not,\u201d Newey said.<\/p>\n
Depending on the outcome, Aston Martin will decide what configuration to run in the remaining practice sessions before qualifying.<\/p>\n
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Fans at Albert Park on Friday.Credit: Joe Armao<\/p>\n
But the lack of track time has created a deeper problem for the team: it has barely begun to understand the behaviour of its new car.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur information on the car itself is very limited because we\u2019ve done so little running,\u201d Newey said.<\/p>\n
Running low fuel \u2014 the typical preparation for qualifying simulations \u2014 actually worsens the battery issue, forcing the team to limit the kinds of laps it can safely complete.<\/p>\n
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\u201cRunning it low fuel actually exacerbates the battery problem,\u201d Newey explained.<\/p>\n
The result is a frustrating cycle: without running, the team gathers little data about the car, but a more aggressive approach risks damaging the already limited supply of energy storage systems.<\/p>\n
Newey, one of the most decorated designers in Formula 1 history, has felt unusually helpless.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one where I feel a bit powerless,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019ve clearly got a very significant power unit problem. And our lack of running then means we\u2019re not finding out about the car either. It becomes a self-feeding problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Newey stressed the issue is not simply an engine problem belonging to Aston Martin\u2019s power unit partner Honda but something the entire team must solve together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can say it\u2019s their problem, but it\u2019s our problem as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe car is a combination of chassis and power unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The opening session marked another milestone for Cadillac, with team principal Graeme Lowdon overseeing the team running two cars during an official grand prix weekend for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was hectic,\u201d Lowdon said. \u201cIt\u2019s the first time we\u2019ve ever owned two cars running in a Formula 1 session.\u201d<\/p>\n