{"id":516707,"date":"2026-03-05T21:05:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T21:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/516707\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T21:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T21:05:11","slug":"f1-team-boss-warns-new-car-may-cause-permanent-nerve-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/516707\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 team boss warns new car may cause permanent nerve damage"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sports<\/a>Motorsports<\/a><\/p>\n

Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey said that drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll may not complete Australian GP.<\/p>\n

Published Mar 05, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 1\u00a0hour ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 2 minute read<\/p>\n

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\"MechanicsMechanics take the car of Aston Martin’s Canadian driver Lance Stroll for scrutineering ahead of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. Getty ImagesArticle content<\/p>\n

Aston Martin isn\u2019t banking on crossing the finish line at this weekend\u2019s F1 Australian Grand Prix and getting a driver onto the podium.<\/p>\n

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In fact, the team probably would be happy to just see one of its drivers finishing the race in one piece.<\/p>\n

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Team principal Adrian Newey revealed on Wednesday ahead of the Formula 1 season opener that vibrations from their new Honda engine are posing serious health risks to their drivers after short periods of time in the car.<\/p>\n

As a result, neither Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll are expected to be able to complete Sunday\u2019s race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat vibration into the chassis is causing a few reliability problems,\u201d Newey told reporters in Australia<\/a>. \u201cMirrors falling off, tail lights falling off \u2014 all that sort of thing, which we are having to address.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the much more significant problem is that the vibration is transmitted ultimately into the driver\u2019s fingers.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSo Fernando is of the feeling that he can\u2019t do more than 25 laps consecutively before he will risk permanent nerve damage to his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cLance is of the opinion that he can\u2019t do more than 15 laps before that threshold.\u201d<\/p>\n

What did Honda say about the engines?<\/p>\n

The comments come after the Aston Martin team made the switch to Honda as an engine supplier beginning this season.<\/p>\n

The team has been plagued by performance and reliability problems during off-season testing, with Aston Martin recording the lowest on-track mileage of any team.<\/p>\n

During testing, vibrations from the engine caused failures in the batteries in the engine\u2019s hybrid system.<\/p>\n

Honda F1 boss Koji Watanabe said they would only know whether late countermeasures were effective once the car starts running on track for practice on Friday.<\/p>\n

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However, the reported fix should only stop the vibrations from reaching the battery, but still will be transmitted into the chassi, and from there into the steering.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no point in not being open and honest in this meeting on our expectations,\u201d said Newey who is widely regarded as a legend in designing race cars and is in his first full season as the team principal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to have to be very heavily restricted on how many laps we do in the race until we get on top of the source of the vibration and improve the vibration at source.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are the drivers saying about the vibrations?<\/p>\n

When asked to describe driving the new car, Stroll gave a dire comparison<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess just like electrocute yourself in a chair or something like that and it\u2019s not far off,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udea8 | Lance Stroll on what it feels like driving the AMR26:<\/p>\n

“I guess just like electr*cute yourself in a chair or something like that, and it’s not far off.”<\/p>\n

[@wearetherace<\/a>]<\/p>\n

\u2014 formularacers (@formularacers_) March 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Alonso said the vibrations made his hands and feet feel \u201cnumb\u201d after a number of laps, but added: \u201cIf we were fighting for the win, we can do three hours in the car, let\u2019s be clear. But definitely it is something that is unusual. It shouldn\u2019t be there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know the consequences either if we keep driving like that for months. So a solution has to be implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n

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