Fernando talks about engine vibrations and what drivers feel after driving the current AMR26. Even so, he is confident that "Honda is going to solve all the problems"

Fernando Alonso, in his first appearance in Australia, was asked about the issue of massive vibrations of the Honda engine in the new AMR26. Newey gave an alarming fact about theimpossibility of filming for the drivers because of the consequences they can produce and the Spaniard gave his version of what he feels. Fernando doubted whether he will arrive in time in his sporting career to enjoy a world champion Aston Martin, but he does not doubt that they will succeed.

It has been 25 years since he made his F1 debut in Melbourne.

"I feel good. 25 years ago I made my debut here, in the same place, and we are still here, so I feel privileged to be part of this sport after so many years, to continue feeling competitive and to continue loving what I do. I'm ready to compete again; It's going to be an interesting season, especially with the change in regulations and the challenges that await us, with perhaps more difficulties than expected. I'm ready for another season."

Vibrations in the car and fears of hand injuries.

"Yes, for us it's like everything vibrates, but not just in the car. Everything shrinks a bit, so that's why we have some reliability issues that shorten our days a bit."

"The vibrations of the engine damage the components of the car a little and as drivers, we feel them... We feel them in our body, with this frequency of vibrations that you feel after 20 or 25 minutes, I think that's the word, a little numb in your hands, your feet or whatever."

"So yes, it's been a challenge, but every day in Sakura they try to find solutions and I think since Bahrain they've done a couple of tests and some of the solutions have already been implemented in the car. So yes, I'm curious to see what we can improve and what we can feel tomorrow."

Is it a painful sensation?

"No, it's not painful, it's not difficult to control the car... In other words, adrenaline is much greater than any pain. If we were fighting for the win, we could be in the car for three hours. Let's be clear, I think that trumps anything, when you're in the car, you don't have any limitations that prevent you from feeling the car or what you're doing, but it's definitely something unusual, it shouldn't be there and we don't know the consequences either. If you keep driving like this for months, you have to find a solution... and, as I said, in Japan everyone tries to solve it on a daily basis. So yes, we're here to help. Everyone is confident that Honda can solve these problems."

How can you trust them to? What impact does that have on your decision about the future of your career?

"Well, I think, you know, I have full confidence that Honda will fix the problems, because they've done that in the past and they're always going to be competitive and a top engine in Formula 1. As you said, the problem is probably the time required, and it doesn't match my career path, and that remains to be seen. I don't have a crystal ball to know exactly when the issues will be fixed, so yes, we'll go race by race, month by month, and we'll see, hopefully, that we can see improvements in the short term, which will also help me make a decision for next year."

How are you going to face Sunday's race? Are you going to be the ones to decide when to stop and stop driving?

"No, we'll see, I think, as I said, in a way, deep down I have the feeling that the problems will be solved every time I get in the car... I close the visor and I really hope everything gets better, so yes, after the last few weeks in Japan, I think it's important for us to test the car on Friday and then maybe decide, let's see how things go. I have a feeling that everything could be fine and we can have a normal weekend, but we'll see.

Is it the most difficult situation in 25 years of career?

"No, not at all. Minardi was very difficult and Renault, the first year, was difficult, I didn't know if I was fit to drive Formula 1 cars, if I had the level, if I had the support, after my test season, I didn't know if I would compete in Formula 1 again... Now I'm in the last part of my career and my journey in Formula 1 has exceeded any expectations, so I'm very good and I'm very happy with everything, so yes, we have some challenges to start this year, for sure, we're not hiding that, but I don't know, I'm facing them with, I don't know how to say it, I don't know, it's not that I'm happy to face them, but I'm ready for them, so I'll accept them and try to help as well with my experience so that Honda makes this time as short as possible."

"As I said last year when I renewed my contract, I think this team is a matter of time to win a championship. We have everything ready and we face another difficulty and challenge with the new regulations and the engine change. Buteverything can be fixed, that's the only doubt I have is whether I'll be at the wheel or in a different position in the team. I think I'll win a championship with this team sooner or later."

The situation looks discouraging from the outside.

"I think it looks more difficult from the outside, which is understandable, you know, there are high expectations for Aston and I agree with that, but yes, I think we know what we do, we know the limitations of the car and, as Adrian probably said, we started a little bit behind when he joined the team and changed the philosophy of the car a little bit.

"Now, we expected the premiere car to be a bit run-down and also maybe in the first two races, but I think he (Newey) knows what to do on the car and what to fix, which areas are underperforming and what areas have more potential, so it seems like we have a clear direction in the chassis and I'm not worried about that." (MARCA, 2026-03-05)