Aston Martin’s weekend at the Mexico City Grand Prix ended prematurely after both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll retired from the race after just five laps. Honda, which provides power units to the team, confirmed that the failures were caused by unexpected cooling issues related to the circuit’s high altitude.
Cooling System Failures
Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer, explained that the team was aware of the challenges posed by Mexico City’s thin air. However, the ERS cooling circuit experienced significantly higher stress than the manufacturer had anticipated.
“We knew that with the special high-altitude circumstance of Mexico City, we would face some additional challenges compared to other racetracks for the cooling,” Orihara told Autosport. “However, we found that our ERS cooling circuit was under heavier stress than anticipated and this is why we had to stop the car in different sessions.”
The issues were not limited to the race. Alonso reported abnormal signals from the water systems during Saturday’s qualifying, and the team had already been working to address turbo lag and driveability concerns throughout the practice sessions. Orihara noted that the absence of an MGU-H in the current power unit design, which previously helped manage turbo lag, exacerbated the difficulties caused by the low-density air at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Team Outlook and Reliability
Despite the early exits, Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack maintained that the car showed potential in low-speed sections, such as the stadium area. He acknowledged that the team has faced a difficult season, marked by a challenging start and recent reliability setbacks following the introduction of upgrades.
“It’s difficult for everyone to keep the motivation high in such situations, and we are struggling all year already,” Krack stated. “The thing is, everybody tries his best, everybody is motivated to do better, and I have no doubt about the motivation.”
Fernando Alonso, who recorded his seventh retirement of the season, emphasized his continued commitment to the team despite the technical frustrations. “The car is very good,” Alonso said. “The problem is just, we cannot do more laps than a certain number, apparently, with the engine. Hopefully we learned a lesson and we come next year more prepared.”
Honda plans to utilize the data gathered during the Mexico weekend to refine its power unit performance and reliability as it prepares for future seasons. The team intends to apply these lessons to improve their competitiveness at high-altitude circuits in the coming years.
