Fernando Alonso says he “lost feeling in his hands and feet” after vibrations in his Aston Martin F1 car exposed his limbs at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Ahead of last week’s opening race in Australia, Aston team principal Adrian Newey admitted Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll were concerned about “permanent neurological damage” such as the violent shaking of the AMR26.
advertise
Alonso was running toward the back of the field when he retired with 21 laps to go on Sunday, citing “vibrations from the car that were making him uncomfortable” as Aston continued to have problems with engine supplier Honda.
In-car video of the 44-year-old driver showed Alonso experiencing violent vibrations, particularly on two straights at the Shanghai International Circuit, with the Spaniard having to let go of the steering wheel at different moments.
“It was difficult, we found it more shocking than in any other race over the weekend,” Alonso said afterwards.
“Physically, I couldn’t hold on much longer. I was starting to lose feeling in my hands and feet, which wasn’t a good feeling.”
advertise
The team revealed that Stroll retired early in the race due to a “suspected battery issue.”
In addition to his own team’s troubles, Alonso also criticized the new generation of cars after four drivers – McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, Williams’ Alex Albon and Audi’s Gabriele Bortoletto – failed to even start the race due to mechanical problems.
“Four cars didn’t start – that was probably the worst sight,” Alonso said.
The 44-year-old said he was “physically unable to continue” (Getty Images)
“It was fun to start, also in Australia. When we had the same battery level and full charge on the first lap, the car got off to a good start.
“But when we got to the Battery Life World Championship, we were not as good as everyone else.”
advertise
Aston will be working to resolve the issues at the next race, the Japanese Grand Prix in two weeks’ time, Honda’s home event.
The team will have five weeks to improve the car after next month’s races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are cancelled.
