Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin's vibration issue is 'gone' after Honda testing

Fernando Alonso has declared the vibration issues that plagued Aston Martin's early season as "gone," expressing relief after Honda's intensive testing at Sakura successfully eradicated the problem. The issue had been so severe that team boss Adrian Newey warned Alonso and Lance Stroll risked "permanent nerve damage" from the vibrations emanating from the Honda power unit.

Why it matters:

Aston Martin's season was derailed by a reliability issue that masked the true performance of the AMR26. With the vibration now fixed, the team can finally focus on unlocking the car's potential and implementing a cost-cap-efficient upgrade path. Alonso's confidence is crucial for morale and development momentum.

The details:

• The vibration problem first emerged at the Australian Grand Prix, persisting through rounds in China and Japan.
• Between Suzuka and Miami, the team kept a chassis in Japan and sent it to Honda's Sakura base for extensive testing.
• Countermeasures were successfully deployed, and Alonso confirmed the fix endured under race conditions in Miami.
• "As long as you don't understand the problems and you don't fix one at a time, it is difficult to gain trust in the next steps of performance," Alonso said.

Between the lines:

Aston Martin deliberately brought no performance upgrades to Miami. Alonso explained this was "the plan from the beginning" – prioritizing reliability validation before investing in pace improvements. With the car currently around a second off the frontrunners, the team is saving resources for a more meaningful step later in the season.

What's next:

With the vibration issue firmly behind them, Aston Martin can now turn attention to a performance upgrade package. The team is expected to introduce developments at Imola or Monaco, aiming to close the gap to the midfield leaders and give Alonso a platform to fight for consistent points finishes.