Autobayng News Team
Aston Martin is at serious risk of being unable to compete in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix due to a shortage of batteries for its Honda power unit.
Team principal Adrian Newey confirmed they are only able to use two of the four batteries they have brought for this weekend’s race. That leaves just one each for their drivers. Newey confirmed there are no further spare parts available for the team to fly in.
Fernando Alonso was unable to take part in the first practice session due to a problem with his power unit. Lance Stroll covered just three laps as the team sought to preserve its stock of parts.
“The critical point is the number of batteries,” Newey explained. “We came here with four batteries. We’ve had conditioning problems or communication problems with two of those batteries, which means, as we sit here today, we’ve only got two operational batteries.
“That, given our kind of rate of battery damage, is quite a scary place to be in. Obviously, we’re hopeful that we can get through the weekend and start two cars and so on and so forth, but it’s very difficult to be concrete at the moment about that.”
Aston Martin already had problems with the Honda power unit producing excessive vibrations, which was so severe it limited the number of laps drivers could complete. However the communications difficulties with the batteries is a “fresh problem,” Newey admitted. “But the much more underlying problem is the vibration issues that we continue to struggle with.”
The power unit problem is seriously compromising the team’s ability to make progress with its new car. “I feel a bit powerless because, clearly, we’ve got a very significant PU problem, and our lack of running then also means at the same time we’re not finding out about the car,” said Newey.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
“So, our information on the car itself is very limited because we’ve done so little running, and particularly running at low fuel. Running at low fuel acts as a damper to the battery. Honda have limited us very much to how much low fuel running we can do. It just becomes a self-feeding problem.
“And of course it’s using a lot of energy – in the human sense as opposed to the kilowatt sense – on our part to try to work with Honda and to produce the best overall solution, because we can turn around and say, “Well, it’s not our problem,” but it is our problem because ultimately the car is the combination of chassis and PU.”
Both Aston Martins were able to run in the second practice session.
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2026 Australian Grand Prix
- Honda’s Australian GP engine changes have eased vibration problems
- Russell collects warning and reprimand for separate practice incidents
- New penalty guidance allows disqualification for “very extreme” collisions
- FIA publishes updated Driving Standards Guidelines for 2026 F1 season
- Ferrari “on the back foot” against “very, very strong” Mercedes, says Leclerc
Published by
Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 – when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring journalist, Keith began running the site full-time in 2010, achieving a long-held ambition to dedicate his full attention to his passion for motor racing. View all posts by Keith Collantine
