Honda issue emergency statement after Fernando Alonso incident at F1 test event
Fernando Alonso caused a red flag after an issue on his Aston Martin.
Aston Martin's power unit supplier, Honda, have had to issue a statement following an incident involving Fernando Alonso in Bahrain.
This week, preparations for the 2026 Formula 1 campaign ramped up as the final test began around the Bahrain International Circuit.
While the likes of Mercedes, Williams and Ferrari impressed during the Bahrain test, Aston Martin endured a tough time.
Hopes were at an all time high following the arrival of Adrian Newey, who is often regarded as the greatest F1 designer in history.
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However, Aston Martin's challenger for this season, the AMR26, has proved to be problematic during testing.
Alonso and Lance Stroll have had their sessions limited due to multiple problems and have completed fewer than 400 laps.
On Thursday, Alonso brought out the red flag during the afternoon session due to what has since been confirmed as a battery issue.
As a result, Honda have had to issue a statement confirming that the team's plans for the final day of testing have been changed.
According to Planet F1, a similar problem has been noted on Stroll's car, who failed to complete a single lap during the first two hours of Friday's session.
A statement from Honda said: "Our last run with Fernando Alonso yesterday showed a battery-related issue that impacted our test plan with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team.
"Since then, we have been carrying out simulations on the test bench in HRC Sakura."
It continued: "Due to this and a shortage of power unit parts, we have adapted today’s run plan to be very limited and consist only of short stints."
In response to Honda's statement, Sky Sports F1 lead commentator David Croft said: "What has gone wrong so far has been called a shortage of parts.
"I imagine not just for logistical reasons, but cost cap reasons because these parts are expensive, you can't keep throwing new parts at it."
Fernando Alonso speaks out after Aston Martin's dismal Bahrain test
Despite the problems, Alonso said on Wednesday that he remains optimistic for the season ahead.
The two-time F1 world champion said: "We will try to fix everything that we can before Australia and, after that, try to fix as many things as possible in the first couple of races before it’s too late in the championship.
"But no, I’m optimistic. I think there is a solution in place."
Topics: Fernando Alonso, Formula 1
Marcus Chan