So severe is the vibration problem caused by the car’s Honda engine that the team principal feared his drivers suffering permanent nerve damage
The next round of the Formula One world championship in Japan will be the home race for the Aston Martin team’s engine manufacturer, Honda, at the Suzuka circuit. A celebratory affair, however, is not expected amid painful days for Honda, whose return to F1 has been marked by a failure to make the grade.
Their engine’s shortcomings were exposed for the second successive race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday. Fernando Alonso retired after 32 laps because the vibration from the engine was so severe he was losing feeling in his hands and feet. Hit teammate Lance Stroll had retired after 10 laps with a battery issue, an element of the hybrid engine that has plagued the manufacturer from day one.
The Spaniard was bluntly phlegmatic, if more diplomatic than he was when last he toiled with an underperforming Honda engine at McLaren between 2015 and 2017. “On lap 20 to 35 I was struggling a bit to feel my hands and my feet,” he said. “We were one lap behind, we were last, and there was probably no point to keep going.”
When asked about Japan, Stroll was simply dismissive of their chances. “Unless they can find some magic in the next 10 days, pray. Pray for me,” he said.
