Fernando Alonso retired from the Chinese GP after losing feeling in hands and feet

Fernando Alonso has revealed he began to lose feeling in his hands and feet before retiring from the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, as Aston Martin’s ongoing Honda power unit problems continue to cast a shadow over its campaign.

Excessive vibrations force Alonso out

In Shanghai, the issue reached a new level.

“I retired because the engine vibrations were actually different today – or rather, excessive – and starting around lap 20 or so, I began to lose all feeling in my hands and feet,” Alonso told DAZN.

The two-time world champion had been running at the back of the field, behind the Cadillacs and having been overtaken by both, when he decided to stop.

“Continuing until the end of the race while losing feeling in my hands and feet didn’t make much sense.”

Later, speaking to the written media, Alonso admitted he “probably couldn’t have finished the race anyway”, although he did not clarify whether that referred to a potential battery failure or his worsening physical condition.

“[The vibrating] was worse today than any other session in the weekend,” he said. “We were one lap behind, we were last. It was probably no point to keep on going.”

A recurring reliability pattern

The problems in China mirrored those seen at the Australian Grand Prix, where both Aston Martins also retired. The vibrations emanating from Honda’s internal combustion engine have repeatedly damaged batteries, raising concerns not only about reliability but also about driver comfort and potential nerve impact.

From Honda’s perspective, there were marginal gains.

“We have improved the vibrations on the systems side, but it’s still an issue for driver comfort,” said Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer.

Alonso, however, made clear that the core hardware remained unchanged.

“The engine was exactly the same as in Australia,” he stated.

He suggested that some of the perceived improvements had been achieved artificially, by lowering engine RPM to reduce vibration levels.

“Some of the steps we did were achieved artificially,” Alonso explained. “I mean, just lowering the RPM of the engine and things like that, so everything vibrates less. But in the race, obviously, you still need to go high in some of the RPM when you make an overtake move, or when you have to recharge or something like that. Over time, it's more difficult. It's more demanding.”

Despite the setbacks, Alonso insisted Honda should be given more time to resolve the issue.

A bright start, then reality

There was at least one positive moment in Shanghai. Alonso delivered a lightning start — an area that has long been one of his strengths — surging from 15th on the grid (18th position excluding three non-starters ahead) to 10th by the end of the opening lap.

Five laps later, however, he had slipped back to 15th.

“Yeah, the starts are fun,” Alonso said. “Same as in Australia, the car seems to start really well. On lap one it's true that we all have the same level of battery, which is full. Then we enter this battery world championship, and in that we are not as good as the others.”

That assessment underlines the broader picture: while Aston Martin can show flashes of competitiveness in controlled conditions, its underlying power unit limitations — particularly around battery performance and vibration management — remain a critical weakness.

Until those issues are solved, both reliability and driver comfort appear set to remain central concerns for the team and its Honda partnership.