Alarming footage shows Alonso fighting violent vibrations in Aston Martin cockpit at Baku

The footage showed the two-time world champion gripping the steering wheel while his hands oscillated rapidly, forcing him to adjust his grip in an attempt to manage the movement.

The precise cause of the shaking has not been confirmed. However, the visible vibrations are consistent with the Honda power unit problems that have affected Aston Martin's car throughout the 2026 season.

With the Baku City Circuit featuring a full-throttle section measuring approximately 2.2 kilometres, the footage is a stark reminder that one of Formula 1's most troubling reliability issues has not been fully resolved.

Aston Martin is the only team running the Honda power unit, leaving the partnership with no external benchmark to accelerate its search for a fix.

The vibration problem first surfaced during pre-season testing in Bahrain and reached crisis levels before the opening race.

Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March, Aston Martin boss Adrian Newey held a press conference at which he revealed the issue was not only impacting the functionality of the car but also the safety of both drivers. Newey admitted: "Fernando is of the feeling that he can't do more than 25 laps consecutively before he will risk permanent nerve damage to his hands."

At the Chinese Grand Prix, Alonso was forced to retire after struggling with severe vibrations, saying afterwards: "Physically, I could not continue much longer. I started to lose the feeling in my hands and feets, it was not a nice feeling."

The issue was reportedly resolved by the Japanese Grand Prix, where Alonso managed to finish in 18th place for the team's first classified result of the season. Yet the Baku footage suggests the physical consequences have not been completely eliminated.

Alonso's difficult Thursday worsened during FP2, when a suspected oil leak restricted him to just nine laps, the lowest total completed by any driver in the session. He finished last with a 1:47.889, 4.542 seconds behind George Russell's pace-setting Mercedes, as Aston Martin occupied the final two positions.

After qualifying P19 on Friday, Alonso acknowledged the car's straight-line deficit: "We are losing a lot of lap time on the straights and so I think it will make the race difficult for us."

Mike Krack was equally candid: "Unfortunately, the results reflect the PU performance at these sorts of circuits with long straights."

As GPblog reported, the Spaniard later treated the weekend with characteristic self-deprecation, but the vibration footage paints a far more concerning picture.

Both Aston Martin drivers will start Saturday's race from the back of the grid after exceeding their power unit allocations, with the team sitting 10th in the constructors' standings after 14 rounds.