Negotiations are taking place at Honda's headquarters with Aston Martin.

      The Aston Martin team remains the only one whose drivers have not finished a race after two rounds of the 2026 season. On Sunday in Shanghai, Lance Stroll retired after just nine laps due to a battery issue. His teammate Fernando Alonso managed to complete 32 laps out of 56 before he stopped racing due to a more serious problem.

      During the race, onboard footage from Alonso's car showed Fernando letting go of the steering wheel on the straights. After the retirement, it was revealed that the Spanish driver had partially lost feeling in his hands and legs due to severe vibrations from the Honda power unit.

      Before the first race of the season in Australia, Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey stated that his drivers could suffer irreversible nerve damage if the issue was not resolved. Following Alonso's incident in China, questions arose about whether Aston Martin drivers could safely pilot the AMR26 at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, and whether their health was at too great a risk.

      According to Racingnews365, Alonso's retirement was largely a precautionary measure, and there were no concerns about potential physical injuries. He would have been able to continue the race had he been in contention for victory or a podium finish. However, ahead of the Suzuka round, questions arose about whether the FIA had concerns regarding the safety of Aston Martin cars.

      In response to a relevant inquiry, the FIA stated that teams are responsible for the safety of drivers and personnel. In Alonso's case in China, Aston Martin intervened in time to prevent the situation from becoming potentially dangerous.

      Typically, Honda's home race in Suzuka has always been a reason for celebration, leading to various activities such as special car liveries, but sources in the paddock report that this year Honda has opted out of such activities due to other priorities. High-level negotiations are currently taking place at Honda's headquarters in Sakura between senior management and representatives of Aston Martin.

      The upcoming Japanese Grand Prix will be yet another challenging weekend for Aston Martin and Honda, but it can be assumed that the team is demanding its power unit supplier resolve the vibration issues by the Miami round in early May.