Aston Martin dealt major blow as David Croft predicts long fix for vibration problem

Sky Sports Formula 1 commentator David Croft has issued a stark warning about Aston Martin's major vibration issues.

The Briton said during the Sky Sports F1 Show that it could take months for the Silverstone outfit to fix the issues.

"Months," he said when asked how long it could take Aston Martin to fix the vibration issues, which caused two-time champion Fernando Alonso to lift his hands off the steering wheel during the Chinese Grand Prix and ultimately retire.

"They're going to be upgrading everywhere and everything," he added. "And there's so much work to do. The way I understand it, if you've got the MGU-K that is bolted to the chassis that is vibrating so much and causing the chassis to vibrate, or the vibrations are coming from the chassis and that's then transferring to the power unit, that needs a redesign of the power unit.

"And if you're going to redesign the power unit, that does need a B-spec car because obviously the car has been designed around where the power unit bits are.

"So I think halfway through the season, maybe Silverstone, we will see a B-spec car at Aston Martin.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

"Until then, they just have to try and find a fix if they can. But short of putting a cushion around it, I don't know. I'm not an engine expert. And every time you're trying to fix reliability issues, you're not concentrating on performance. And this is a major worry for Aston Martin."

Alonso explained after the Chinese Grand Prix that he had begun to "lose all feeling in his hands and feet" prior to his retirement from the race. 

"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.