Aston Martin, currently at the bottom of the constructors’ championship and still scoreless in the 2026 Formula 1 season, is working on a turnaround. According to Fernando Alonso, one of the team’s most critical issues has been resolved: the persistent vibrations coming from the engine.
The Spanish driver revealed after the Miami Grand Prix that he no longer suffers from the problem, which previously affected both the drivers’ hands and the car’s components. The vibrations were identified by Honda, Aston Martin’s engine supplier, during pre-season testing. Beyond damaging the car’s batteries, they also posed a health risk. Adrian Newey, the team’s technical chief, even warned that the issue could cause permanent nerve damage in the hands of Alonso and Lance Stroll.
Although the team failed to achieve a strong result in Miami, Alonso celebrated the disappearance of the vibrations—something Aston Martin had anticipated for the race weekend. “Completely gone. It improved a lot, and it’s the best aspect of the weekend. The car now behaves normally, with no problems finishing the race or reliability concerns. Without scoring those points, we won’t have the confidence to take the next steps in performance,” he said.
Lance Stroll was slightly less optimistic than his teammate but confirmed the car had “fewer vibrations.” Shintaro Orihara, chief engineer of Honda Racing Corporation, welcomed the positive feedback from the drivers. “HRC and Aston Martin worked very hard to bring fixes here. We’ve confirmed they are working well, and our drivers gave us positive comments. This is a bit of positive progress for Aston Martin and Honda,” he said, adding, “We completed the full race distance and the sprint race without major reliability issues. That’s good progress. Our next focus is optimizing data settings for energy management and drivability. There’s also plenty of room to improve our power unit. That’s the next step.”
**Progress Slow to Arrive**
However, the tone from drivers and team management shifted after the Miami GP. Following the April break, it was expected that Aston Martin would bring updates to the car for the race, but the team was the only one not to introduce any changes. After finishing 15th in the United States, Alonso dampened expectations for new parts.
When asked if the fact that the next F1 round, in Canada, has only one free practice session would affect the team’s preparation, Alonso stated that the car is unlikely to see major updates before the mid-season break. “For us, it doesn’t affect much, because we don’t have any new parts planned for Canada. I think we won’t bring any parts until races 12 or 14. So, in this first part of the season, the fewer practice sessions, the better,” he told ESPN.
The 14th round of the championship takes place in Spain on September 13. Thus, Alonso expects a long four-month wait before aerodynamic upgrades arrive. “It won’t go past race 14. There’s still a long way to go. Until the problems are understood and solved, it’s hard to have the confidence to make the next step.”