Newey fears ‘big problem’ as Aston Martin risks missing multiple races

Beyond the severe vibration issues described on Thursday — when he even warned of potential permanent damage to the drivers’ hand nerves — the British designer also raised alarm over the battery situation, with the team now at serious risk of missing more than one Grand Prix should their supply run out.

He then added: "We are short on batteries. We've only got two batteries left, the two that are in the car. So if we lose one of those, then it's obviously a big problem. So we've got to be very careful on how we use the batteries."

Speaking at the team principals’ press conference between FP1 and FP2 in Melbourne, the Briton was asked whether he was going through one of the most difficult moments of his career.

Newey admitted he currently feels somewhat 'powerless', pointing to a significant power unit issue that has severely limited Aston Martin’s track running. As a result, the team has also been unable to properly understand the car, with the lack of laps leaving them with very little data. The problem is compounded by the fact that fuel acts as a damper for the battery, which has further restricted the amount of low-fuel running the team can carry out.