Total chaos at Aston Martin after a 'clarifying' session with Adrian Newey

In Formula 1, it’s all about details. Call it nitpicking, but at Mercedes or McLaren, a media session will never be disrupted by a poorly adjusted microphone. The fact that Aston Martin apparently hadn’t properly tested the systems on Thursday morning was the starting signal for a messy day for the British team.

It wasn’t just the microphones that weren’t in sync. The two speakers at the press event also hadn’t spoken to each other about what they were going to say: “It’s something Koji and I unfortunately haven’t been able to discuss ahead of this meeting, but we will have to limit the number of laps we can do in the race until we’ve found the cause of these vibrations and can fix them,” said Newey as Watanabe sat beside him.

To put this in context: this wasn’t a media session organised and mandated by the FOM or FIA. This was a session organised by Aston Martin itself, but apparently, the time slot didn’t account for the possibility that the two might need to speak briefly beforehand.

Newey did most of the talking, often interrupted by a malfunctioning microphone, much to his own frustration as well. In extensive technical terms, Newey explained what’s going wrong at Aston Martin. Long story short: it’s the Honda engine.

According to Newey, it’s clear that the internal combustion engine and MGU are causing vibrations in the car and, therefore, in the chassis. The chassis designed by Newey is, according to the master designer, among the top five, but the team as a whole is not. In short, the engine isn’t good enough.

That same engine also causes the vibrations that, according to Newey, make it impossible for the drivers to race. “The vibrations in the chassis are causing a number of reliability issues. Mirrors fall off, brake lights fall off. All kinds of things we need to address.”“The much bigger and more significant problem is that these vibrations also radiate into the drivers’ fingers. Fernando (Alonso) feels he can’t drive more than 25 consecutive laps without risking permanent nerve damage in his hands. Lance thinks he can’t do more than fifteen laps.”

Newey himself had already indicated he hadn’t discussed this with Koji yet, but he clearly hadn’t gone over it with his drivers either. Fernando Alonso was asked by GPblog about Newey’s statements and disagreed: “Driving the car isn’t painful. The adrenaline is much stronger than any pain. If we were fighting for the win, we could sit in the car for three hours.”

They may seem like small things, but in the bigger picture, they’re obviously a major problem. Team boss, engine boss, and drivers are clearly not on the same page when they arrive at the circuit on Thursday. The media sessions, therefore, didn’t provide clarity; they only created more confusion.

Because there doesn’t seem to be a solution yet for the Australian Grand Prix, only a maximum number of laps can be driven. Unless Aston Martin is fast, because then Alonso can sit in the car for three hours.

But no one believes Aston Martin is fast anymore. Let's be honest: On Thursday, Aston Martin was the paddock’s punchline. Valtteri Bottas named Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso as the biggest title contenders for 2026. Lando Norris was asked about his rivals for 2026. The answer: “Aston Martin.”

Rarely has a team been mocked in the paddock as much as Aston Martin was in Melbourne. Not a single lap has been driven yet, but no one truly believes that car will be quick. Except Newey. The only problem for Newey is that Formula 1 isn’t contested with just a chassis, but also with an engine.