A painful setback during Aston Martin’s best weekend of the season
Several drivers were forced to retire from the Canadian Grand Prix for a variety of reasons, and among them was Fernando Alonso. However, unlike many of his previous retirements this season, the Spaniard’s race ended because of an entirely different issue. A new problem emerged on the Aston Martin AMR26, adding yet another challenge to what has already been a difficult campaign for the Silverstone-based team.
This time, the source of the trouble was not the reliability concerns that have frequently affected the car, like component failures or vibrations that caused technical issues and made driving uncomfortable by reducing sensation in the drivers’ hands and feet. Instead, the problem was linked to the seating position inside the cockpit.
The issue brought a premature end to what had otherwise been Aston Martin’s most encouraging weekend of the season. In Montreal, the team had managed to reach SQ2, and Alonso found himself running inside the top ten during the race for the first time this year thanks to a combination of overtaking moves and favourable circumstances before eventually dropping back down the order.
A new problem emerges
As the race progressed, Alonso began suffering increasingly intense back pain. The discomfort became so severe that he eventually returned to the pits and retired from the race.
The same issue also affected Lance Stroll. The Canadian driver reportedly considered stopping as well but ultimately decided to continue. As he explained over team radio, he chose to carry on for the mechanics and for his father, bringing the AMR26 to the chequered flag despite the pain.
After the race, Alonso described the situation in detail:
“We had this issue with the seat. Lap after lap I felt more and more uncomfortable. The position wasn’t right and, since we were outside the points and far from the points, we decided to put an end to the pain. We tried to modify a few things, but it didn’t work.”
Between Saturday and Sunday, Aston Martin’s engineers and Alonso himself attempted to make adjustments to the seat in order to determine whether the problem was related to that specific unit. However, the situation did not improve during the race, suggesting that the issue is not linked to a defect in the particular seat used in Montreal.
A new seating position creates new challenges
Aston Martin’s Head of Trackside Operations, Mike Krack, explained that the root cause appears to be connected to the driver’s seating position, which has been altered compared to previous seasons.
The AMR26 places drivers in a more reclined position, a design choice intended to lower the car’s centre of gravity and reduce the amount of helmet exposed to the airflow, both of which offer potential performance benefits.
While the discomfort had already been present at previous races, it had never reached the point where a driver was forced to retire. In Canada, however, the pain became excessive. Onboard footage even showed Alonso repeatedly removing one hand from the steering wheel and placing it between his legs on the straights before the final chicane, seemingly attempting to relieve the discomfort.
This latest issue adds another item to Aston Martin’s growing list of concerns and will require additional work from the team if it is to be resolved before future races.
“He hasn’t felt comfortable for quite some time, but never to the point where it became an obstacle,” Mike Krack explained. “We need to reconsider the position. With these cars, you try to sit as low as possible and the position becomes increasingly reclined. Perhaps we have gone too far. We will need to reassess the situation and possibly go back to what we had before.”
Solving the problem may not be straightforward. Any effective solution could require substantial modifications involving the driver’s position inside the cockpit, meaning Aston Martin may have to balance comfort and performance more carefully as the season progresses.
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