– Actually, green is considered the color of hope. But for the Aston Martin Formula 1 team, there is currently little reason for optimism. The British racing stable surrounding technical genius and team principal Adrian Newey is apparently facing a nightmare start to the new season at the Australian Grand Prix (the complete schedule).
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The test drives in Bahrain were already a fiasco, as Aston Martin was massively slowed down by problems with the new Honda power unit. On the final test day, Lance Stroll completed only six laps – and according to current information, the AMR26 is unlikely to be seen on the track much more often in Melbourne either.
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Because as Honda official Ikuo Takeishi admitted a few days ago, “abnormal vibrations” are leading to damage to the battery system. The exact causes remain unexplained so far. Although the vibrations are to be reduced for the season opener, a sustainable solution is realistic at the earliest in Suzuka.
Will Aston Martin only drive a few laps in Australia?
Honda is thus traveling to the debut in Melbourne virtually unprepared. The defects during the test drives have caused the spare parts situation to escalate; at times, there was even talk of skipping the Australian Grand Prix by citing force majeure.
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It is now clear: Aston Martin will compete in Melbourne – but probably only with the minimal goal of meeting the 107 percent rule to qualify for the race, doing a few laps on Sunday, and then parking the two AMR26s of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
In parallel, a crisis unit was formed to support Honda. The engineers around team principal Newey are in close contact with the specialists in Sakura, Japan, to advance the investigation into the causes. Strategy chief Andy Cowell, who led the Mercedes engine department to several world championship titles, was dispatched to Japan.
Aston Martin faces a debacle at the start of the season
But time is of the essence. First, it’s about establishing basic reliability before even thinking about performance. Newey is said to have even remarked sarcastically internally that the Honda engine doesn’t even have enough power to recharge the battery. According to reports, around 80 hp is missing.
The situation for Aston Martin overall is a disaster that scratches the image of the ambitious project – the racing stable in which Lawrence Stroll has invested heavily: with a new high-tech factory in Silverstone and a first-class staff under the leadership of Adrian Newey. But the dream of world championship success has burst, at least for now.
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