Fernando Alonso says it is optimistic to think Aston Martin can finish the race despite a better-than-expected Australian Grand Prix result.
Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey made the shocking revelation last Thursday that Alonso and Lance Stroll would not be able to complete more than half of the opening race due to the risk of permanent nerve damage from the car’s vibrations.
Stroll did not even participate in qualifying, but completed 43 of 58 laps on Sunday, while Alonso retired after just 21 laps. Parts shortages are the main reason for Aston Martin’s limited running, but vibration remains an issue.
Alonso told Sky Sports F1: “We need to take the positives and move forward. Everybody is determined and working hard to make a difference.”
“I think we’re in a better position now, probably considering the situation in Bahrain and Thursday in Australia. We tested some things, found the window and chassis better than in Bahrain, did the formation lap, the start and pit stops with both cars. All of this is normal for everyone, but we’ve never had that in Bahrain. It was good data and we will be better prepared for China.”
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Adrian Newey explains how vibration and battery issues are affecting Aston Martin
Asked if he thought he would be able to complete this Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, the Spaniard said: “I’m optimistic, but we can try. Obviously we still lack parts and China is only this week.”
“But for Bahrain it will obviously have more batteries and more inventory, so for China it will be able to take more risks on Sunday.”
Honda says Aston Martin is ‘confident’ it can complete race distance
Honda enjoyed great success with Red Bull, helping Max Verstappen win four world titles, before returning as a full-fledged engine manufacturer this season with Aston Martin.
However, Newey revealed that only around 30 per cent of the original Honda team is currently working with Aston Martin, and he only found out about it in November last year.
Aston Martin completed the least number of laps in pre-season testing and has the challenge of being the only team supplied by Honda, so there will be less data available on the power unit compared to other teams.
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On the second day of testing in Bahrain, a red flag was brought out after Alonso’s Aston Martin stopped on track.
Honda’s F1 trackside general manager, Shintaro Orihara, said: “From Honda’s perspective, Australia was definitely a very important point to see improvements in battery reliability.”
“After the Bahrain test, Aston Martin and Honda worked together very hard to find a solution. And it was an incredibly hard job. They worked long hours to find a solution.”
“Then we introduced some measures here and confirmed the effectiveness of the measures on the first day. We then confirmed good progress compared to Bahrain and will implement the measures on the second and third days.”
“And on Sunday we’ll be building up a lot of mileage. From a vibration point of view, we’re confident we’ll cover the full mileage in the race, so this is a big step up from Aston Martin and Honda. That’s a very important point for Aston Martin.”
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Lance Stroll and Alonso respond to Newey’s concerns that Aston Martin’s vibration problem could cause ‘permanent nerve damage’
Sky Sports F1 China GP Schedule
Thursday, March 12th
5am: Driver press conference
8am: Paddock uncut
Friday, March 13th
1:05am: F1 Academy practice
3:00am: Chinese GP Practice (session starts at 3:30am)*
5:30am: Team boss press conference*
6am: F1 Academy Qualifying*
6:45am: Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 7:30am)*
Saturday, March 14th
2:25am: Chinese GP sprint build-up*
3am: Chinese GP Sprint*
4.30am: Ted’s Sprint Notes*
5:30am: F1 Academy Race 1*
6:30am: Chinese GP qualifying build-up*
7am: Chinese GP Qualifying*
9am: Ted’s Qualification Notebook*
Sunday March 15th
2:35am: F1 Academy Race 2*
5:30am: Preparation for Chinese Grand Prix: Grand Prix Sunday*
7am: Chinese Grand Prix*
9am: Chinese GP reaction: Checkered flag*
10am: Ted’s Notes*
*Also held at Sky Sports Main Event
F1 heads to Shanghai this Friday for the first sprint weekend of the 2026 season, the Chinese Grand Prix, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
