Aston Martin could be forced to limit its running in the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix this weekend as severe engine vibrations are impacting its car and drivers, with Lance Stroll comparing the issue to getting electrocuted.
All eyes are on Aston Martin at the opening race of the 2026 F1 season after a tough start to the year. The team was late to the Barcelona shakedown and struggled in Bahrain testing as engine vibrations hampered its running. Now, the team has warned that it may have to limit its running this weekend as the issues continue.
Team principal Adrian Newey explained that early retirements could be required primarily to protect the drivers. The main issue with the AMR26 is linked to extreme engine vibrations, which are causing damage to other components of the car – including its new energy store.
Newey specified that Stroll and team-mate Fernando Alonso would therefore be limited to about 20 laps in Melbourne in order to protect them from potential nerve damage in their hands caused by these vibrations.
When asked on F1 TV to describe the sensation of these vibrations and compare it to something a “normal” person might understand, Stroll painted a grim picture of life in the AMR26.
“I don’t know how you can compare it,” the Canadian said. “I guess just electrocute yourself on a chair or something like that, not far off.
“It’s just, it’s very uncomfortable vibrations. It’s bad for the engine, but also for the human inside the car. We need to get on top of it, but I think we will.”
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
The issues stem from the Honda power unit, but spread through the car due to the stiff nature of an F1 carbon fibre chassis. This is leading to other issues with the AMR26, such as parts like mirrors working loose.
Aston Martin and Honda are working through the problems, with Stroll adding that his team is “trying to improve as quickly as we can”.
“Are we going to be where we want to be this weekend? No,” he added. “Bahrain was only a couple of weeks ago, and these changes don’t happen over night. But, we made some changes over the last couple of weeks and we’ll see how we go.
“It’s not good. We’re trying to get on top of it, fix it. We have some ideas this week to solve some of those issues, and we’ll see in FP1 if it’s better than it was in Bahrain.”
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– The Motorsport.com Team