fernando alonso warned that teams could be forced to limit running in some sessions at the Chinese Grand Prix because of a shortfall of battery parts, underscoring an ongoing reliability problem linked to vibration damage discovered in pre-season activity and early running in Melbourne.
Fernando Alonso Says Battery Shortage Will Force Lap Limits
Fernando Alonso was blunt about the operational consequences of the fault: “We will be forced to limit laps in some sessions because we are short on parts. ” The comment comes amid a situation in which vibration problems in the new Honda power unit damaged batteries during pre-season testing and the early sessions in Melbourne, leaving the team with just two units — one per car — and no spares.
Alonso also cautioned that fixing reliability is only the first step, adding that once reliability is addressed, the team could still be at a disadvantage on power. “Once we fix the reliability, we will be behind on power and things, ” he warned, noting there are “two steps” to resolve the crisis, and that he hoped the first improvement would come soon.
Aston Martin And Honda Stonewall As Repair Efforts Continue
Engine and team representatives have been guarded about precise battery counts. It is understood that Honda repaired at least one battery at its Sakura facility in the days after Melbourne, which provided a single spare in Shanghai, but neither the team nor the manufacturer confirmed numbers on the record. Team leadership expressed reluctance to repeatedly discuss the issue, citing limited value in publicising specific inventory counts.
Honda trackside general manager Shintaro Orihara offered a cautious note on progress with vibrations while remaining reserved on exact figures: “We’ve made some progress in reducing vibrations and continue to work diligently to reduce them. Reliability remains a challenge for us that needs to be addressed. We continue to actively discuss this with Aston Martin, and we have another countermeasure we may try. ” He also said efforts were under way to repair failed batteries to increase available spares.
Team Responses, Race Impact And What Comes Next In Shanghai
Lance Stroll described the situation as “very fragile, ” expressing hope for improvement in China. Separately, trackside officers declined to expand on battery counts, stressing a preference to focus on solutions rather than repeating known limitations.
The issue has practical consequences for weekend running: with a constrained pool of batteries, teams have signalled they may restrict mileage during practice and qualifying to preserve available units for the sessions deemed most critical. The vibration-related failures that emerged in pre-season and were evident in Melbourne have been identified as the immediate cause of the damage to the battery units.
Meanwhile, other teams are handling isolated technical failures on their own cars. One competitor declined to elaborate on a technical failure that ended his race in Melbourne, saying the team had investigated, taken the car apart and returned parts to the factory for further analysis.
Organisers and teams are now aiming for a resolution of the vibration issue at the manufacturer’s home race, identified as the next key milestone for the corrective programme. Until reliability improves, the short supply of usable battery units is likely to dictate conservative running strategies and could shape competitive orders through the remainder of the event in Shanghai.
