Fernando Alonso has summed up Aston Martin’s early-season struggles in blunt fashion: Formula One (F1) right now feels like a “battery world championship”—and his team is losing it.
The contrast is obvious. On opening laps, Aston Martin can hang with the pack. Alonso charged from 17th to 10th in Australia, then from 18th to 10th in China. The car launches well, and with a full battery at the start, it looks competitive.
But that is where the advantage ends.
“On lap one, it’s true that we all have the same level of battery, which is full,” Alonso said after the Chinese Grand Prix. “Then we enter this battery world championship, and in that we are not as good as the others.”
Fernando Alonso Preaching Patience
From there, the drop-off is steep. Reliability issues tied to the new Honda power unit have plagued Aston Martin since preseason testing. Engine vibrations have repeatedly damaged batteries, forcing both Alonso and Lance Stroll into compromised races. Alonso’s run in China ended prematurely after he began losing feeling in his hands and feet.
The root problem remains unresolved. While Honda has introduced countermeasures to protect the battery, the team is still working to understand the source of the vibrations.
Nevertheless, Fernando Alonso is urging patience, especially with a slightly longer gap before the Japanese Grand Prix.
“We need to give Honda more time to understand the vibrations and where they come from,” he said. “Now we have two weeks, so we need more time on the dyno.”
Looking Forward to Progress
There has been progress, at least in keeping the car running. Head of trackside engineering Mike Krack noted that what was once a six-lap limitation in testing has improved to full session runs. Still, he was candid about the bigger picture.
“It’s not performance progress,” Krack admitted.
For now, Aston Martin can start races strong. Finishing them competitively is the real fight—and one they are still trying to win.
