Gary Anderson advises Newey to act more cautiously.

      Gary Anderson, a former racing car designer and now an expert for The Race, discusses the situation the Aston Martin team found itself in at the beginning of the season. He recalls his experience working with Japanese engine manufacturers, which, although dated to the late 90s, remains relevant.

      During the Australian Grand Prix, the problems of Aston Martin F1 became fully apparent – it got to the point where Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso completed only 64 laps between them, but even that seemed like a kind of victory.

      I was surprised not only by the seriousness of the team's situation but also by how Adrian Newey spoke about these problems to the public.

      My experience with Honda indicates that once the Japanese engine manufacturers identify a problem, they can respond very quickly and achieve success. But in our case, all of this happened behind closed doors.

      On one hand, it is quite normal to acknowledge that engine vibrations lead to battery failures, but Honda does not appreciate it when someone speaks disrespectfully about their work in public.

      Newey stated that when the Japanese company signed the contract to supply engines to Aston Martin, there was not even a clear understanding of the situation in the department responsible for the Formula 1 program. This likely did not sit well with the people working at Honda Racing Corporation in Sakura.

      Since Newey plays two roles in the team, he must act very cautiously and be aware of which role he is playing when communicating with the press. Depending on the situation, he must provide very different answers. As the team leader, he can touch on any political topics, but as the technical director, he should only discuss technical issues and operate with facts.

      I mentioned that in 1998, when I worked with the Jordan team, Honda quickly responded to our complaints, but all of this happened outside the public eye, and I did not hide that we also had problems.

      As the team leader, Newey must engage in a kind of political gamesmanship, although I have no doubt that everything he said corresponds to reality. But the question remains whether he will achieve the desired results with this approach and whether it motivates the Japanese company to put in maximum effort.

      We will only find out over time; however, my experience suggests that working with Honda requires a different approach.

      It is also worth recalling that when Renault supplied engines to the Red Bull team, Newey and Christian Horner never missed an opportunity to publicly criticize the French engine manufacturers.

      When you start pointing fingers at someone while talking to the press, you must understand that the consequences will be ambiguous, including leading to mutual distrust. And when this happens, the situation develops like an avalanche, and it is very difficult to stop this process.

      It is clear that Aston Martin and Honda have a long way to go. The issue is not only about the vibrations coming from the internal combustion engine: everyone knows that Adrian Newey is an advocate of a maximally compact layout. Over the years, this has helped him create very efficient cars, but sometimes one can go too far.

      For example, if the battery compartment is simply too tight and it is impossible to fit any special anti-vibration mounts, then fully resolving the issue will be challenging. It seems that the initial problems are already not as pronounced, but they are not completely resolved because it takes time…

      The stiffness of the chassis also affects the level and frequency of vibrations, as they are transmitted throughout the car. We hear that the drivers' hands also suffer from this, and Adrian Newey even does not rule out that vibrations could lead to irreversible nerve damage. However, I am absolutely sure that by making such comments, he was exaggerating…

      There is no doubt that vibrations can harm the human body, but this can be quickly determined, and if their level becomes unsafe for health, such cars should not be allowed on the track at all.

      Newey also suggested that the engine lacks power, which is a completely different problem that is much harder to solve. It can be expected that Honda will utilize the ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) program, which allows for modifications to the engine design if they lag behind the leaders by 2% or more – this will be determined by a special methodology after the first six races.

      Although only one Australian stage has passed, it already seems that Aston Martin will not achieve success in 2026 and will only begin to emerge from the crisis. If they manage to finish normally and occasionally earn some points, that will already be a bonus. But if the team manages to rise to such a level, it could be considered a miracle.