Aston Martin is in the midst of a nightmare ahead of F1 events in Japan, the home of engine supplier Honda, and Adrian Newey’s position as team principal is also in the spotlight.
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have yet to see the checkered flag in the opening two Grands Prix, but Aston Martin is battling newcomer Cadillac to avoid being last in qualifying.
Co-owner Lawrence Stroll said last Friday he had “set the record straight” after reports emerged that former Audi boss Jonathan Wheatley would replace Newey as team principal.
“We do things differently here. We currently don’t have the traditional team head roles that you see elsewhere, but that’s by design,” Stroll said.
“The most successful engineer in the history of the sport, Adrian focuses primarily on strategic and technical leadership, which is what he does best.
“He is supported by a highly skilled senior leadership team to execute all aspects of the business both on campus and trackside.
“We are regularly approached by executives from other teams who wish to join Aston Martin Aramco, but in line with our policy we do not comment on rumors or speculation.”
Jonathan Wheatley will replace Adrian Newey as team principal, potentially allowing the legendary designer to prioritize car development
Aston Martin’s main problem is vibration
There are a lot of rumbling noises coming from the truck and unfortunately they are literally the main problem on the truck as vibrations from the Honda power unit.
F1’s power unit regulations will be completely changed in 2026, further reducing reliability, something Aston Martin has yet to overcome.
During pre-season testing, the car virtually shook to a halt, and Honda had limited battery capacity, which limited the distance drivers could travel.
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On the second day of testing in Bahrain, a red flag was brought out after Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin stopped on track.
In fact, the vibrations were so strong that Newey warned the Aston Martin driver of “permanent nerve damage” ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
In the previous race in China, Alonso was seen taking his hands off the steering wheel on the straightaway due to discomfort caused by vibrations and retiring after 32 laps.
“There was more vibration than any other session over the weekend. Physically I couldn’t keep going any longer,” he said.
“I couldn’t feel my hands and feet. It didn’t feel good.”
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Adrian Newey explains how vibration and battery issues are affecting Aston Martin
Honda has been testing engines on a dyno at its Japanese base in Sakura to understand where the vibrations are coming from.
Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer, said, “We have improved the vibration on the system side, but there are still issues with driver comfort.”
“This is an important area to work on for the next race in Japan.”
Sky Sports understands that Alonso will miss Thursday’s Japanese GP media day due to the birth of his first child, with Jack Crawford already filling in for Friday’s first practice session.
Aston Martin said in a statement: “Fernando will be arriving a little late this weekend due to personal family reasons and will not be attending the Japanese Grand Prix media day. All is well and he will be back at the track on Friday.”
How long will it take for Aston Martin to resolve the issue?
Honda is hampered by the fact that it only has one team using its engines, while other power unit manufacturers Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and Ford have at least two teams collecting data and learning about their power units.
When things are going well, being the sole engine supplier is an advantage. Because the team building the chassis doesn’t have to think about other teams and can build the car around the power unit.
But when an engine manufacturer is struggling, it becomes much harder for just one team to catch up. That’s what Honda knew when it partnered with McLaren in 2015. Despite improvements, McLaren and Honda parted ways at the end of 2017 after three seasons together, and it wasn’t until 2019, when Honda became Red Bull’s engine supplier, that winning results began to emerge.
Max Verstappen wins Honda’s first race in the turbo hybrid era at the 2019 Austrian GP
“We still have too many problems, too many unknowns that come out of nowhere every day,” said Alonso, who drove for McLaren during his time at Honda.
“We don’t seem to have fully resolved the issue yet, which is why it’s difficult to predict[when Aston Martin will have a normal weekend].
“But we are pushing and we have very professional and talented people in the team, so we hope that we can have a normal weekend in time for a few grands prix, at least in terms of putting in laps and completing sessions.”
“So to be competitive, I think it will take more time, to be honest, because if we can improve the reliability, we will be behind in terms of power and things. So I would say there are two steps, but I hope the first step comes soon.”
Aston Martin’s hopes go from challenging at the forefront to completing the race
One way Honda will catch up is through three additional development and upgrade opportunity (ADUO) periods during the season.
The team with the best performing internal combustion engine, determined to be at least 2% behind the manufacturer, will be given a development opportunity. The first ADUO is scheduled to take place after the sixth race of the season in Monaco in June, but this may change following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs in April.
However, Sky Sports F1’s David Croft pointed out that F1’s budget cap means it will not be easy for Honda to resolve such Saab issues.
“If the MGU-K, which is bolted to the chassis, vibrates so much that it causes vibrations in the chassis that are transmitted to the power unit, then the power unit will need to be redesigned,” Croft said.
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Despite the car’s obvious problems, Fernando Alonso is confident Aston Martin will solve them and improve.
“If we’re going to redesign the power unit, we need a B-spec car to do that. I think we’ll see a B-spec car in the middle of the season, probably at Silverstone (in July).”
“Until then, we need to find a solution if we can. Every time you try to solve a reliability problem, you lose focus on performance. This is a huge concern for Aston Martin, and it’s terrible for everyone involved in that team, from top to bottom. I don’t see how it’s going to be resolved quickly.”
“Andy Cowell is the engine guru and should spend most of his time in Japan helping Honda get the engine in full possession, but there is a cost ceiling so we can’t get out of this situation completely.”
How frustrated is Alonso? Will he retire at the end of 2026?
There were such expectations for Aston Martin even before the wheel was turned in 2026, but the bookmakers’ odds on Alonso have shrunk dramatically over the winter, and expectations from Newey and Honda have increased expectations for a third world championship and a first title fight in 14 years.
A new factory and state-of-the-art wind tunnel at Aston Martin’s Silverstone base showed that Lawrence Stroll is serious about getting his team to the front of the grid.
However, it quickly became clear that Aston Martin was not fighting for victory as some had expected, but only to get on the starting line in Australia.
Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin contract expires at the end of this year
Alonso has been with Aston Martin since 2023, and although he was unable to end his winless run that started in May 2013, he had a successful first year with the team, scoring six podiums in the opening eight races.
“The last two years have been a build-up for 2026, but a disastrous start to his time at Aston Martin-Honda has left Alonso in a tough spot mentally,” Newey said.
“We all want to win. There are 22 drivers this year. One will win, but the 21 will be in a difficult and tough mental state, because for me finishing third or fifth or 17th is not really that important,” Alonso said.
“I have been fortunate enough and privileged enough to have lived and enjoyed driving in different eras of Formula 1 and ultimately spent half my career in competitive cars and was very fortunate to have over 100 podiums in this category.
“So, as I said, it’s the same pain and the same agony for me to finish in any other position than first. Obviously, we’re on this journey now with the team, which is not an ideal start, but this is the first year of the cooperation between Aston Martin and Honda and we have to get through this moment. I’m ready to help in any way I can.”
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Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso respond to Adrian Newey’s concerns that Aston Martin’s vibration problem could cause ‘permanent nerve damage’
Alonso’s contract with Aston Martin expires at the end of this year and he will turn 45 in the summer. The Spaniard previously said the performance of his 2026 car would be “very important” when deciding when to retire from F1.
He said last season: “I think we’ll have to see how next year starts and how motivated I am. Every year there’s a different vibe going into the season.
“There are a lot of different emotions, including your own performance, your own competitiveness, your motivation to keep your fitness at a high level, your personal situation, your family situation, and all these things influence some of the important decisions in your life.”
What’s realistic for Aston Martin in 2026?
With a five-week gap between this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix and the next race in Miami from May 1-3, Aston Martin could be the biggest beneficiary of the canceled Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs.
With another three weeks off scheduled after Miami, Honda has plenty of time to at least ensure both cars complete the Grand Prix.
Aston Martin has been running its engines at lower revs to reduce vibrations, so the first aim is to allow drivers to run their engines at higher power. If they can take advantage of this, they’ll see performance improvements in no time.
Aston Martin will be hoping for the checkered flag at Suzuka
Neither Stroll nor Alonso have made it past the first half of qualifying so far, and were just one second away from reaching Q2 in China. This is a huge difference in F1.
The goal by mid-season will be to have at least one car advance to Q2. That would probably give Aston Martin a shot at points towards the end of the year.
“Realistically, this season, as I said, we will first try to overcome this vibration problem and make sure we can run, and from there we will see how much we can improve the performance, especially with the internal combustion engine,” Newey said.
“Of course at the same time, Honda needs to start developing the 2027 engine, because it is clear that in 2027 they need to significantly increase the power output of the internal combustion engine, and that has to be their sole focus.”
F1 will be at the iconic Suzuka Circuit this weekend for the Japanese Grand Prix, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract.
