Aston 'not feeling festive' even after the Suzuka result.

      "We implemented new measures on Friday."

      Aston Martin finally managed to get a car across the finish line in 2026, but there were no celebrations at Honda’s home event in Suzuka. Fernando Alonso brought the troubled vehicle home, marking the team's first race completion of the season after a series of reliability issues. However, the atmosphere remained somber. "No one on the team is in a celebratory mood about this result," acknowledged chief trackside officer Mike Krack. "That’s clear." The extent of the challenges was highlighted by the performance gap, with Aston Martin being approximately four seconds per lap slower than the leading competitors. Lance Stroll did not finish, retiring after 30 laps due to a water pressure problem with the internal combustion engine. Despite this, simply having the car complete the race felt meaningful internally. Honda chief engineer Shintaro Orihara noted that the race felt unusually lengthy as the team aimed just to finish. "It had been a while since we crossed the finish line, and until now, we had only been finishing about halfway through the race, but we wanted to push past that," he said. "It’s a small step, but everyone on the team wanted to finish in front of the fans who attended Suzuka, so completing 53 laps felt like a long time." However, the fundamental problems remain unresolved. The intense vibrations that forced Alonso to withdraw in China are still present, despite attempts to remedy them. Footage from Suzuka showed the Spaniard removing his hands from the wheel on the straights and even massaging his legs while driving—clear indicators that the physical strain from the problem continues. "We implemented new measures on Friday in response to what we had been addressing since China," Orihara explained. "However, we haven’t been able to apply them for the race yet, and the driver’s vibration issues haven’t changed since the Chinese Grand Prix. So, I believe it was the driver's efforts that allowed us to complete the race."