Team principal Adrian Newey admitted in the Australian Grand Prix paddock on Thursday that running for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will be “very heavily restricted” until the underlying vibration issues are resolved.
The problems stem from the car’s power unit and its interaction with the chassis, with Newey explaining that while battery-related measures have reduced some vibration, the broader issue remains unresolved.
He said the vibration is transmitted through the chassis and ultimately into the drivers’ hands, creating both reliability concerns and potential health risks.
Newey was explicit about the limits the drivers believe they can safely complete in succession.
“Fernando is of the feeling that he can’t do more than 25 laps consecutively before he will risk permanent nerve damage to his hands,” he told media in Melbourne.
“Lance is of the opinion that he can’t do more than 15 laps before that threshold.”
He added that the team will be forced into limited running until improvements are made, saying they would have to be “very heavily restricted on how many laps we do in the race until we get on top of the source of the vibration and improve these vibration at source.”
The vibrations have also caused minor reliability issues, including components such as mirrors and rear lights coming loose, further complicating preparations.
Despite the immediate concerns, Newey suggested the AMR26 has development potential, estimating the car could be competitive on the chassis side.
However, he conceded the team is currently behind the front-runners and will need several races to unlock its performance.
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