Concerning Rumours About Aston Martin for Melbourne: Formation Lap Only?
Mar.3 - Aston Martin could take the extraordinary step of completing only the formation lap at the Australian Grand Prix before retiring both cars, amid deepening concerns about its new Honda power unit.
Italian reports claim the Silverstone-based team has even discussed not starting the race at all, although contractual obligations and fines would likely prevent a total withdrawal.
Instead, one scenario under consideration is that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll would take part in the weekend, qualify within the minimum requirement, start Sunday's race - and then immediately pit after the formation lap or after just a handful of laps.
The drastic idea underlines the severity of the crisis.
Honda Racing Corporation CEO Ikuo Takeishi admitted last week that the problem detected in Bahrain was serious.
"During testing, we detected unusual vibrations," he said. "I believe the main cause was that these vibrations led to damage to the battery system.
"We stopped the car because we felt it shouldn't continue driving in that condition. It wasn't that an accident was imminent, but it was dangerous."
Honda suspects multiple components within the power unit and chassis are interacting to create the vibration, making a quick fix difficult.
"If it were something like the transmission or the motor alone, it would be simpler," Takeishi said. "But I suspect several components are interacting. We may have stumbled upon a rather tricky situation."
The issue is compounded by spare parts shortages following repeated failures in Bahrain, where Aston Martin completed fewer than 400 laps across six test days.
Reports from Italy suggest Honda's parts production has struggled to keep pace, meaning every kilometre in Melbourne could increase the risk of further damage - especially with the Chinese Grand Prix following just one week later.
Team principal Adrian Newey reportedly addressed staff at Silverstone this week in a sober meeting, warning there was "no reason to celebrate" and that recovery could take "five to six months".
"I have a plan and I will get you out of here," he is quoted as telling employees.
Newey and senior engineer Andy Cowell are understood to have travelled to Japan to work directly with Honda in Sakura, where vibration testing is ongoing using a full monocoque rig.
The crisis unfolds against the backdrop of broader Middle East instability, with a refinery operated by Aramco - a major Aston Martin sponsor and global fuel partner - briefly catching fire amid regional tensions, although Saudi authorities say operations have resumed.
For now, Aston Martin insists it will line up in Melbourne.
10 F1 Fan comments on “Concerning Rumours About Aston Martin for Melbourne: Formation Lap Only?”
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Don’t worry Adrien has a cunning plan, could it be the CH version. Maybe running a gp team is not as easy as it looked.
Might have been nice to hear from Papa smurf directly in the media,perhaps hes busy on the phone to his stock broker about offloading a chunk of shares pdq
I highly doubt the validity of this rumor & I’m sure they’ll start the race as normal instead of not starting by retiring from the formation lap unless an actual terminal issue were to strike.
I'm not sure. The vibrations story is one that came from Honda and the team. It is in line with what happened in testing. Given that overheating could potentially cause thermal runaway and a serious fire that takes hours to put out, one car going on fire like this could indefinitely stop a GP? Whatever about that, there's one song that won't be heard wafting from Silverstone over the next several months:
"Good, good, good
Good vibrations!"
Classic....
According to the national press the problems are confirmed and severe. So severe that the vibrations will stop the drivers completing a race distance. If that is the case hopefully they will be stopped on medical grounds as well as safety grounds,
It’s hard to imagine what would cause a company with Hondas huge history with racing engines such problems.
Even though the situation seems severe enough to risk permanent nerve damage with lengthy stints, I hope both will drive in the race to at least some extent, even if Lance were to retire from lap 15 & Fernando from lap 25 at the very latest, respectively.
Can't they race one car and swap at the pit stops? Bring back some rules from the 50s and some rock 'n' roll to balance the new rules off. It's more than just Lance and Alonso who'll be All Shook Up at Aston, after all!
Cant Mrs Kardashion send a document or two ? get her Doc to sign them off sick with something fashionable maybe?
I'm not sure how good she is as a chef, but perhaps she could take over from Alonso? She should have more protection against vibrations from the seat. Could probably do a double race stint, no bother and whip up a nice venison roast afterwards. Vegan venison for Sir Lewis, of course, and regular for everyone else. Could be the thing that brings Lewis and Alonso closer together?