Aston Martin chief Adrian Newey said Friday that a vibration issue plaguing their cars was "sucking all energy" out of the team with star driver Fernando Alonso in "a hard mental place".
The Newey-designed car suffered countless issues through pre-season testing with an unreliable Honda power unit, and that has continued in Melbourne at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Vibration into the chassis has caused mirrors and tail lights to fall off and there are fears that Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll could suffer nerve damage in their hands.
A frustrated Newey said there was no quick fix after the two cars completed just three laps between them in first practice in Melbourne.
"At the moment I think there's a very clear action of work to try to reduce the vibration that is emanating from the PU (power unit)," he said.
"They are working on that, it's not going to be a quick fix... I can't comment how quickly they can achieve that, but that has to be the main drive.
"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."
An update from Adrian Newey and Koji Watanabe. #AusGP pic.twitter.com/jdqj0ujfUs
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 5, 2026
Newey revealed the team also had battery problems with only two from four now working. Another failure would mean one car would be sidelined in Melbourne.
As one of the greatest designers the sport has seen, Newey admitted he felt "powerless" as Japanese manufacturer Honda desperately try to find a solution.
The issues are having an impact on the drivers – veteran Alonso, 44, 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, in truth, far more than the two world championships," said Newey.
"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."