Aston Martin a negative protagonist in Melbourne
Before the real track activity began and everyone ended up talking about Mercedes dominance, chaos at the start, and Mario Kart-style overtaking, it was mainly Honda and Aston Martin that took the headlines of the Australian GP press conference Thursday. The words of Adrian Newey on the eve of the weekend had indeed caused quite a stir, also due to a certain unusualness on the part of a team principal in admitting so candidly – and perhaps even in a somewhat exaggerated and alarmist way – the problems of his car. The legendary British engineer had in fact spoken of a “risk of permanent damage to the drivers’ nervous systems” while describing the drivers’ difficulties in driving the AMR26 due to the strong vibrations generated by the Honda power unit.
Koji Watanabe was caught off guard by Adrian Newey
Words that did not please Koji Watanabe, who after working for many years in close contact with Adrian Newey at Red Bull found himself sharing this new – so far unfortunate – Honda experience at Aston Martin with the aerodynamic genius. The president of HRC, the Japanese company’s sporting division, admitted to journalists in his country that he was caught off guard by the team principal’s statements: “It would have been one thing if the drivers had said something about it, but I was a bit puzzled as to why Newey spoke directly on their behalf.”
“We cannot stay in this situation – Watanabe added – and this doesn’t just mean increasing engine power, but it’s about the way we develop it and consider it as one with the car. We want to work together as a single team. I think it will also be important for Honda to further deepen the collaboration with the Aston Martin headquarters in Silverstone. To this end, as the person in charge of management, I will work to strengthen our organization.”
Aston Martin-Honda, there are signs of improvement
There was also no lack of some positive signs for Honda, which greeted with cautious optimism (the subject of understandable mockery among fans) the fact that in the end, despite being 15 laps down, Lance Stroll managed to cross the finish line of the Australian GP: “There were some aspects where I perceived a potential for improvement for the future. Lance said the vibrations were about half of those in Bahrain. I think this expression is probably based on a feeling, but in any case it clearly appeared how the drivers are now able to drive a bit better than before.”
Talks between Honda and Aston Martin
Tension with the team is growing, however, as are rumors of a possible sensational early termination of the contract with the Japanese company for the power unit supply. So much so that in Melbourne, even the big boss Toshihiro Mibe, the president and CEO of Honda Motor Company, was seen talking with Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll. “President Mibe – Watanabe concluded – is first and foremost an engineer, and he shared some ideas with us on the technical level, bringing us a warm message urging us to make this engine competitive as soon as possible.”
