Overview
- Fernando Alonso retired from the Canadian Grand Prix after 23 laps because worsening back pain and numbness linked to an uncomfortable seating position forced him out of the race.
- Aston Martin brought Alonso into the garage on Tuesday to try several revised seat positions and made multiple adjustments to the cockpit geometry.
- Alonso said he is optimistic the worst of the Canada problem is fixed after the team reverted the seat nearly to the 2025 position and tested four different set-ups in the garage.
- Team chief trackside officer Mike Krack cautioned that a true fix is complex because changing the seat also requires moving the pedals, checking the required crash-structure height, and altering steering-wheel distance.
- The seat change follows a deliberate push by technical partner Adrian Newey for a more reclined driving position to lower the car’s centre of gravity and improve airflow, and small millimetre shifts in pressure points can cause nerve pain over long stints so further on-track validation is expected.