Aston Martin Drivers Fear 'Permanent Nerve Damage' From Car's 'Extreme Vibrations', Says Concerned Adrian Newey

Last Updated:March 05, 2026, 16:22 IST

The Newey-designed car experienced significant issues during pre-season testing, including an unreliable Honda power unit and a lack of spare parts.

Aston Martin chief Adrian Newey revealed on Thursday that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll fear permanent nerve damage from extreme vibrations in their cars and are unlikely to complete the Australian Grand Prix.

The Newey-designed car experienced significant issues during pre-season testing, including an unreliable Honda power unit and a lack of spare parts. They were the slowest car with the fewest laps, completing just 128 laps over three days in Bahrain, which is equivalent to what many teams achieved in a single day.

As they prepare for the season-opening race in Melbourne this weekend, the situation has not improved. Newey disclosed that both drivers are experiencing such severe vibrations through the steering wheel that they could only complete 25 and 15 laps respectively.

“The vibration into the chassis is causing a few reliability problems, such as mirrors and tail lights falling off, which we need to address," he said. “But the more significant problem is that the vibration is ultimately transmitted into the drivers’ fingers."

Fernando feels he cannot do more than 25 consecutive laps without risking permanent nerve damage to his hands. Lance believes he can’t do more than 15 laps before reaching that threshold.

“I think there’s no point in not being open and honest in this meeting," added Newey, regarded as the greatest designer the sport has seen. “We will have to be very restricted on how many laps we do in the race until we resolve the source of the vibration and improve it at its origin."

There was speculation before the Australian Grand Prix that the team might not compete, but they arrived as planned. Aston Martin entered 2026 with high expectations, especially with Newey’s arrival, who was also appointed team principal.

(With Inputs From Agencies)

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