Since the first on-track running of this Formula 1 season, vibrations have already been troubling Aston Martin and Honda. The consequences are twofold. Initially, the vibrations caused damage to the battery, resulting in reliability problems and very limited mileage for the Silverstone-based team.
In addition, the issue has physical effects on Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, with the two-time world champion saying in Shanghai that he “began to lose all feeling in his hands and feet” before retiring from the Chinese Grand Prix.
During its home race in Suzuka, Honda acknowledged that the impact of these vibrations had not fully been visible on the dyno.
“During pre-season testing in Bahrain, we identified a significant vibration issue,” HRC president Koji Watanabe told media including Autosport. “On what we call a real vehicle dyno, the level of vibration was not particularly high. However, once the power unit was integrated into the actual car and run on track, very large vibrations emerged.”
Honda says the vibrations appeared to be at an “acceptable level” during dyno tests, but that the real picture only became clear once the power unit was integrated into Aston Martin’s chassis.
Mitigating the effect on drivers will take more time
This also made the issue more difficult to solve, as Honda only had very limited data from winter testing, while the interaction with the chassis could not be fully replicated in a virtual environment.
“After that, we were unable to conduct any further on-track testing before the season opener,” Watanabe admitted. “Instead, we tried various countermeasures on the test bench, and brought one of those solutions to the opening race, where it showed some effect.”
Koji Watanabe, President, Honda Racing Corporation CEO and Representative Director
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
“By the second race, that effect had improved further. The so-called aggressiveness of the vibrations toward the battery has now been significantly reduced. It’s still not ideal, but we are no longer at a level where the battery is being damaged.”
This means that part of the reliability issue has been resolved, or at least made less severe on the battery, but the Chinese Grand Prix showed that this is only part of the story. The physical impact on drivers remains, and Watanabe admitted that addressing that will take more time.
“Our primary focus has been on reducing the impact of vibrations on the battery. Going forward, we will also work on mitigating vibrations affecting the driver. However, that will take more time. As we have not yet fully identified the root cause, the only approach is to proceed step by step.”
Help needed on the chassis side
As the issue only became apparent once the engine was integrated into the chassis – and not when Honda ran the power unit separately on the dyno – the Japanese manufacturer says it needs help from Aston Martin to resolve it. That concerns the interaction with the chassis, which needs to be improved in several areas.
“I believe so. Enrico Cardile is currently working closely with us as well. This is not something that can be resolved by the power unit alone, so when it comes to vibration, we are tackling it together with a shared understanding of the issue,” Watanabe said.
Effective communication between both parties is crucial in that regard, but Watanabe stressed that good progress is being made on that front.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
“The people responsible for the day-to-day work are functioning well, maintaining close communication. That’s why we believe it’s important to support them by fostering an open and collaborative partnership that allows them to work effectively.”
Solving the vibration issues is crucial to finishing races in the first place, but Honda knows this is only a first step of a steep learning curve. After that, the focus will shift to improving pure performance, while Adrian Newey has already hinted that work on the 2027 engine is also approaching.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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