HEALTH CRISIS: ALONSO FACES EARLY RETIREMENT AS NERVE DAMAGE RISK SHAKES ASTON MARTIN PROJECT
Fernando Alonso faces a shock mid-season retirement as Adrian Newey warns of permanent nerve damage from Honda vibrations.
There’s talk that Fernando Alonso could get pushed to retire from Formula 1 before the season’s even over, all thanks to some pretty serious pain in his neck and left wrist. That’s according to a journalist who’s been following the situation closely.
Alonso turns 45 this June, and he’s now in his fifth year with Aston Martin. But things aren’t going smoothly. Right now, the team can’t even finish a full race because their Honda power unit shakes so much that it’s messing up Alonso’s and Lance Stroll’s wrists.
Adrian Newey, who runs the team and handles their technical direction, didn’t sugarcoat it back in Australia. He said those vibrations are bad enough to risk permanent nerve damage if the drivers stay out too long. Alonso’s limited to 25 laps in a row, and Stroll’s even worse off; he can only handle 15.
Race day in Melbourne turned out to be a bit better, at least for Stroll. He managed 43 out of 58 laps before heading back to the garage. But he only got to race after missing qualifying because of an engine problem.
Alonso had a wild start, jumping up seven spots to 10th place on the first lap using soft tyres, but he dropped back later. He came into the garage twice during the race. The team thought he’d have to retire early, but they got him back out there, only for another problem to stop him for good. Twenty-one laps, and that was it for Alonso in Melbourne.
Even so, Alonso’s still talking positively about the rest of the 2026 season, though he admits fixing the car really depends on Honda.
But on Radio Marca’s ‘La Tribu', Spanish journalist Emilio Perez de Rozas said Alonso is struggling with “significant discomfort” in the car. He even suggested doctors might tell him to retire during the season. Perez de Rozas didn’t mince words: “The project is currently an absolute fiasco. We’ll see if they recommend he stop and if he might retire.”
SPORTbible reached out to Alonso’s management, A14 Management, for a statement.
After the Australian Grand Prix, Alonso said he expects Aston Martin’s problems to be just as bad at the next race in China, and he explained that the team needs more time to figure things out. “It’s not the best feeling driving with this level of vibrations,” he said. Honda thinks they’ve reduced battery vibrations since Bahrain by making some changes, but the chassis hasn’t improved; they still need to isolate the battery differently. Alonso said it’ll take a bit longer, but they’re doing all they can, putting in as many laps as possible to help the team.
GUENTHER STEINER PREDICTS MERCEDES 1-2 OVER MAX VERSTAPPEN AT MIAMI GP
F1 2026: Guenther Steiner explains why Max Verstappen could surprise the field in Miami following a four-week update break.
Max Verstappen will end up on the Miami Grand Prix podium with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, but he won't beat the Mercedes duo, at least not if you ask former Haas boss Guenther Steiner.
Steiner isn’t shy about his prediction: he expects a Mercedes 1-2 in Miami, with Verstappen trailing them. It’s a bold call, especially since most people see the championship shifting soon. So far, though, Mercedes completely owns the 2026 season. They've grabbed every pole, every win, and just scored back-to-back 1-2 finishes in Australia and China. They already lead Ferrari by 45 points in the Constructors’ standings, and Antonelli has a nine-point edge over Russell in the Drivers’ fight.
But Miami could flip the script.
F1’s made some changes for this race: tweaked engine regulations, less recharge allowed in qualifying, and a cap on maximum boost during races. Sure, these rules hit everyone, but people say Mercedes might feel it the most, since they've been masters at squeezing every bit from their power units.
That’s not all: every team is rolling into Miami with big car updates after a four-week break. Plenty of time at the factory to find an edge.
Even with all that, Steiner’s sticking to his guns. He thinks Mercedes will still be on top, but also expects Verstappen and Red Bull to step it up enough for Max to join the podium party.
“Mercedes will win,” Steiner told a betting site. “They look strong, and it’ll be a good fight between Kimi and George. But Max could surprise us. Miami’s a different track, and with the new engine rules, there’ll be less charging and recharging – something that could help Max get on the podium.”
Steiner also weighed in on the championship race. Antonelli leads for now, but Steiner tips Russell to turn the tables before the season ends. Russell’s got eight years of F1 experience, and Steiner sounds convinced that this is finally his moment.
“For me, it’s George,” Steiner said. “Mercedes looks really strong this year, and George has the experience. He’s put everything into getting this chance, and now he has it. I don’t think he’ll let it slip away.”
INSIDE THE FIA MEETINGS: HOW TEAMS HASHED OUT THE END OF SUPER-CLIPPING MISERY
Formula 1 is changing. New engine rules, aimed at fixing lift-and-coast, debut at the Miami Grand Prix to boost qualifying.
Mark Temple, McLaren's technical director for performance, thinks the new rule changes will finally fix the drivers’ complaints, especially in qualifying.
Drivers won’t have to worry so much about lift-and-coast or super clipping dominating their laps. Getting the energy balance right is now going to feel a lot more like the old days.
Here's what’s happening: Formula 1 rolled out engine rules this year, splitting power 50/50 between combustion and battery, plus some power boosts. The problem? Battery harvesting and things like super clipping and lift-and-coast sucked the excitement out of qualifying. Max Verstappen said it best: it just wasn’t fun. Drivers couldn’t push flat out, and that just ruined the thrill.
Everyone grumbled: drivers, teams, even safety officials. The FIA brought together F1 management, team bosses, and power unit manufacturers. After hashing it out, they agreed to tweak the rules. Maximum battery recharge drops from 8 MJ to 7 MJ for qualifying; peak super clip power gets bumped up to 350 kW; and grand prix Boost power will max out at +150 kW.
These changes kick in at the Miami Grand Prix. We’ll see soon enough if it makes the drivers any happier, but Temple feels it’ll make qualifying noticeably better.
Lift-and-coast and super clipping should now basically resemble what drivers had to do with older power units. Temple breaks it down: “You’ve got lift-and-coast or coasting into corners, trying to harvest energy to use on the straights. But now, there are changes to Super Clip rules and how much energy you can grab over one lap in qualifying.”
He says the biggest difference is how the car feels to drive. The goal: ditch the stuff drivers hated, especially in qualifying. Instead of coasting forever into a fast chicane, you get the natural feeling of staying flat on the throttle and braking hard. Two things change: lift-and-coast should pretty much disappear in qualifying, where drivers used to let off and coast before braking. Now, the power unit does its thing more efficiently, letting drivers hold full throttle while the car recovers energy. Straight Mode stays active, so they’re not slowing as much. The switch from throttle straight to brakes feels normal again.
Plus, the duration of the super clip or coasting phases gets cut way down. So, when they do show up, they’re quick and manageable, kind of like tyre or fuel management moments from past seasons. Qualifying laps should feel way more natural.
There’s some other complicated stuff under the hood, mostly about how the car manages and deploys energy. That gets a bit simpler, too, making things less finicky for drivers.
