The bitter cup for Aston Martin still doesn’t seem empty. After the dramatic tests in Bahrain, where Lance Stroll had to throw in the towel after just six laps on the final day, the British racing team is reportedly not yet race-ready for the opening race in Melbourne either. Reportedly, the new Honda engine cannot complete a full race distance with the current parts. The scenario that the cars are called back in after just a few laps this weekend is therefore no empty threat.
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During the test weeks, Aston Martin constantly struggled with reliability issues. As a result, drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll completed remarkably few kilometers. The cause? The new Honda engine, specially developed for the AMR26. On the final day, the Japanese manufacturer announced that the engine block could not complete long runs due to a lack of new parts, after which the test program was halted after just six laps.
In a recent statement, Honda indicated that the new powertrain is not well-resistant to the vibrations on the track. The battery – which by 2026 must deliver as much power as the internal combustion engine – is therefore underperforming. With modified parts, that problem should be resolved.
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Aston Martin to see limited action in Australia
According to the Italian branch of Motorsport.com, however, those parts are still a long time coming. It was previously speculated that Aston Martin might not show up in Melbourne by invoking force majeure. Now the team is reportedly considering letting both cars run for only a few laps, before bringing them in as a precaution, the Italians report. After all, Formula 1 would lose face if the new regulation era begins without a factory team on the grid. Furthermore, Aston Martin risks heavy fines for violating the Concorde Agreement, in which the commercial agreements between teams and the organization are laid down. Therefore, skipping Australia is not an option.
Alonso and Stroll would therefore indeed have to come into action in Melbourne, even if only to complete the minimum required race distance. Behind the scenes, work is undoubtedly being done with all hands on deck to prevent this disaster scenario. Engine expert Andy Cowell, co-architect of the successful hybrid era at Mercedes, is said to have already traveled to Japan to tackle the problems.
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