Overview
- Drivers have reported persistent faults since the Miami Grand Prix that cause random downshifts and require re‑syncing of gears, and those problems remained unresolved after a partial step forward in Canada.
- Fernando Alonso warned on Thursday that unexpected downshifts can make the car 'push' or lock the rear wheels and said the team might be unable to race in Monaco if the fault repeats at braking points.
- Lance Stroll said the gearbox loses sync every time the car drops under about 40 km/h, forcing slow re‑synchronisations that will cost large amounts of lap time at the Loews hairpin.
- Aston Martin has spent the two weeks since Canada working on fixes, adjusted Alonso's seat back toward his 2025 position to restore driver feel, and expects technical input from Adrian Newey at the race.
- If the team cannot deliver a reliable fix the problem will not only harm competitiveness in qualifying and the race but also raise real safety risks on Monaco's tight, low‑speed streets and compound earlier-season reliability concerns.