Adrian Newey confirms they will retire early from the race

The head of the Aston Martin F1 Team has admitted that the team will retire early from the race due to strong vibrations coming from the Honda power unit.

Adrian Newey: “Vibrations transmitted to the chassis are causing some reliability issues — mirrors, rear lights and similar components are coming loose. However, the more serious problem is that these vibrations eventually reach the driver’s fingers.

Fernando believes he will not be able to drive for more than 25 consecutive laps; otherwise, there is a risk of irreversible nerve damage in his hands. Lance thinks he will not be able to go beyond 15 laps. Therefore, there is little point in talking about our expectations at the moment.

We couldn’t discuss this with Koji Watanabe before the meeting, but we must limit the number of laps until we eliminate the vibration source”.

Koji Watanabe: “Based on extensive dynamic testing, we will apply the countermeasures that we currently consider the most effective. However, we will only be able to fully understand how effective these measures are once the car returns to the track. Therefore, certain limitations will be applied to the operation of the power unit this week.

Honda Racing Corporation and the Aston Martin F1 Team will continue their close cooperation, and additional measures are already being considered”.