MELBOURNE, March 6 — Aston Martin chief Adrian Newey admitted Friday that a persistent vibration problem in their cars is “sucking all energy” from the team, leaving star driver Fernando Alonso in “a hard mental place.”
MELBOURNE, March 6 — Aston Martin chief Adrian Newey admitted Friday that a persistent vibration problem in their cars is “sucking all energy” from the team, leaving star driver Fernando Alonso in “a hard mental place.”
The Newey-designed car has struggled with reliability issues since pre-season testing due to an unstable Honda power unit, a problem that has continued at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Vibrations through the chassis have caused mirrors and tail lights to fall off, raising concerns that Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll could suffer nerve damage in their hands. Frustrated, Newey revealed that there is no quick solution after the two cars completed just three laps between them in first practice.
“At the moment I think there’s a very clear action of work to try to reduce the vibration emanating from the PU (power unit),” he said. “They are working on that, it’s not going to be a quick fix… Once they’ve got past that, then they can really start to concentrate on performance. But at the moment, this vibration issue is sucking all energy in every area.”
Newey also disclosed battery problems, with only two of four functioning; another failure could sideline a car in Melbourne.
Despite being one of the sport’s greatest designers, Newey admitted feeling “powerless” as Honda struggles to resolve the issue. The ongoing problems are taking a mental toll on veteran Alonso, 44, who faces another season without a competitive car.
“Fernando is, in my opinion, one of the true greats. His ability, his talent, his all-around capability. He should have won far more than the two world championships,” Newey said. “He’s still super-quick, super-talented, super-sharp talking to him… so for Fernando it’s a hard mental place to be in at the moment.” — AFP
BANGKOK, April 24 — Thailand’s Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a petition accusing 44 current and former opposition lawmakers of ethics violations over their 2021 move to amend a law protecting the monarchy from criticism, according to Thai media reports.
PUTRAJAYA, April 24 — The Court of Appeal today dismissed Kepala Batas MP Dr Siti Mastura’s appeal against a High Court ruling ordering her to pay RM825,000 in damages and costs for defaming three DAP leaders by linking them to former Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng.
THE HAGUE, April 23 — Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will stand trial at the International Criminal Court after judges on Thursday confirmed charges of crimes against humanity over his controversial “war on drugs.”