David Coulthard accuses Fernando Alonso of exaggerating issues to ‘put the spotlight’ on Honda

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David Coulthard has questioned whether Fernando Alonso really needed to retire from the Chinese Grand Prix after onboard footage emerged of his Aston Martin suffering serious vibrations.

Fernando Alonso has failed to finish either of the first Grand Prix races of the 2026 Formula 1 season, with reliability issues putting Aston Martin at the back of the grid.

Felipe Massa has told Alonso it might be time to leave Formula 1, and he appears to be further away than ever before from achieving that coveted 33rd Grand Prix victory.

Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey has some serious work to do alongside Honda, and the power unit manufacturer’s home race in Japan is going to put even more pressure on a very sensitive situation.

F1 fans were furious watching onboard footage of Alonso’s car as they watched the two-time world champion having to take his hands off the wheel down the long straights in Shanghai because of the vibrations.

However, David Coulthard and Will Buxton have another theory about why the Spanish driver was doing this before retiring on lap 32.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

David Coulthard thinks Fernando Alonso is putting the ‘spotlight’ on Honda issues

Speaking on the Up To Speed Podcast about Alonso’s struggles, Coulthard said: “Let’s again keep things in perspective, and I’m talking with no knowledge of what he’s feeling in the car.

“But I looked at the video, and I’ve experienced flat spots on tyres, wheel weights coming off, and you get the vibration in the steering.

“The steering’s physically doing that. I never stopped if it was a Grand Prix because you want the points.

“If it were a pit stop that was available, you would do it. Have you seen these guys who work construction with the jackhammers, and they’re doing that all day, every day?

“We don’t see them sort of going. ‘No, I’m not going to come in today, I’m not doing work today because the job of being a jackhammer hammer guy is making my hands sore.’

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“So, is it a little bit of a convenience thing just to continue to put the spotlight on Honda?

“I suspect it’s more that the vibration is an issue for the reliability than for the driver, because here’s my take on it.

“A driver would learn to sing a national anthem backwards while juggling chainsaws if it gave him a tenth of a second.”

Buxton replied: “I agree with DC, and it’s something we’ve been raising right from the start of the year.

“Is this issue as bad as it is, or are they having to make more of it to try and get a greater level of dispensation to improve the engine? Time will tell on all of that.”

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Fernando Alonso making Honda demands before the Japanese Grand Prix

A report from the Spanish outlet MARCA has suggested that Alonso has already ‘requested changes’ from Honda before the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix.

He will be very aware that both Honda and Aston Martin are running out of time to make any sort of impact on this season, with all 10 of their competitors also chasing improvements behind the scenes.

Aston Martin should benefit from F1’s engine improvement rules, but whether Honda can fix by far the weakest power unit on the grid in time is another matter.

Alonso would hate for his F1 career to once again come to an end due to an underperforming engine, but that’s the direction it’s currently moving in.

There are even suggestions that the FIA could force Honda to turn down their engine based on the risks that the vibrations are creating for Alonso and Lance Stroll.