Aston Martin may seek permission to ‘skip’ multiple F1 races over driver health concerns

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Aston Martin’s participation in the early rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season has been cast into fresh doubt after Adrian Newey raised concerns about the health impact of the AMR26’s vibrations.

Speaking in a press conference at the Australian Grand Prix, Newey said there is a risk of ‘permanent nerve damage’ if the drivers complete too many laps consecutively. Fernando Alonso put the maximum figure at 25, while Lance Stroll said 15.

Aston Martin arrive in Australia after a disastrous winter when they propped up the lap times and mileage charts by a significant margin. The Honda engine is malfunctioning and has not been properly integrated into Newey’s chassis.

Should F1 stop Aston Martin from racing after Adrian Newey revealed Fernando Alonso’s ‘nerve damage’ fears?

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Aston Martin could ask the FIA to miss races on safety grounds

There were reports in the lead-up to this weekend’s race that Aston Martin may be planning to retire on Sunday, assuming the cars meet the 107% pace threshold in qualifying. Any running will effectively be an extension of winter testing for the team.

But according to Motorsport Italia, ‘there are those’ in the Albert Park paddock who think the situation may be even more severe. Aston Martin might be seeking ‘authorisation’ to skip multiple race weekends.

• READ MORE: Helmut Marko was ‘very angry’ with Honda over Aston Martin return and predicted 2026 troubles

This would be a breach of their contractual obligations under the Concorde Agreement, but Newey’s comments on Thursday suggest there is a ‘safety issue’ at play.

Both Aston Martin and Honda may benefit from having additional time to address their problems in Silverstone and Sakura, respectively. For the moment, the car does not appear to be in a race-ready state.

Adrian Newey was playing a game in the media before the Australian Grand Prix

Newey was remarkably honest when he spoke to the media, but perhaps he had an ulterior motive. As the report notes, they may be ‘testing the waters’ for a safety-related exemption.

Now that the health risks are out in the open, the FIA could face a backlash if they compel Aston Martin to take part in the race.

Speaking to Aston Martin staff at the factory this week, Newey said the ‘recovery process’ had started, but he isn’t expecting the team to reach a truly competitive state until the second half of the season.

Aston Martin are working on their gearbox while Newey makes revisions to his radical chassis, but Honda will need ‘months’ to address their horsepower deficit.

In between the well-documented failures, Aston Martin’s car looked undrivable at times in Bahrain. There may be potential buried deep in the package, but in the short term, Alonso and Stroll face the toughest stretch of their careers.