Fernando Alonso retired from the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix after suffering a sudden loss of straight-line speed. The Aston Martin driver described the problem as anomalous, while Honda said its initial data showed no evidence of a failure with the new-specification power unit used in Baku.
Alonso had been battling Valtteri Bottas's Cadillac when the performance of his Aston Martin began to deteriorate. The Spaniard reported losing around 1.5 seconds on the straights before the team decided to stop the car. His retirement came shortly after Lance Stroll also ended his race in the other AMR26 with a suspected water-pressure issue.
The key issue is the discrepancy between what Alonso experienced on track and what Honda found in its data. Alonso said there was no visible alarm or warning when the loss of performance began, yet the reduction in straight-line speed was substantial enough to make continuing impossible.
"I didn't see any alarm. Everything was working fine, but I started losing a lot on the straight, like 1.5 seconds. So, as I said, it was something anomalous," Alonso said.
Honda's initial assessment points in a different direction. Shintaro Orihara, Honda's trackside general manager and chief engineer, said the data checked so far indicated that the power unit was operating normally. Further inspections will be carried out during maintenance, with Honda also planning to analyse the data again at its factory.
"In the data we have now, we have checked all the data; the engine is okay. We haven't found any issues in the data, but we will check carefully during the maintenance work, and also check the data back at the factory," Orihara said.
The Baku retirement also comes against the wider backdrop of Honda's development work with Aston Martin. The partnership has faced drivability complaints, vibration issues and straight-line performance deficits since pre-season, leading to a revised power unit specification being introduced at the Dutch Grand Prix. Honda had already taken precautionary action in Baku after abnormal signals were detected in the oil system during FP2.
"We introduced the new engine, then in FP2, we found some irregular signals in our oil system. Because of the new engine, we decided not to carry out the run plan to protect the new engine. We did an inspection after the session, and we found the root cause, and we replaced the part," Orihara explained.
Honda subsequently reported no further engine issues during FP3, qualifying or the race and therefore considers the new power unit healthy enough for the remainder of the season. The unresolved question is why Alonso experienced such a significant loss of straight-line performance despite the absence of a corresponding fault in Honda's initial data.
Until the engine inspection and factory analysis are completed, Alonso's retirement cannot be directly attributed to a confirmed power unit failure. For Aston Martin and Honda, identifying the source of the discrepancy will be important before the next phase of the season.
Baca Juga
Media internasional menyoroti Christian Horner, kritik Lando Norris, kegagalan Oscar Piastri dan masalah Ferrari setelah Azerbaijan GP 2026 di Baku.
Fred Vasseur menghadapi tekanan di Ferrari setelah performa 2026 belum maksimal, sementara rumor Christian Horner kembali mencuat di tengah spekulasi.
Fernando Alonso kehilangan kecepatan di lintasan lurus hingga 1,5 detik sebelum gagal finis di Baku, sementara Honda menyebut mesin tetap sehat.
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