The FIA has launched an investigation into an alarming incident during Bahrain practice, where Fernando Alonso's steering wheel came loose in his hands.
"I've never seen anything like it," said former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, a Formula 1 veteran since the early 1970s, speaking to Sky Italia in Bahrain.
Footage and radio exchanges captured the Aston Martin driver struggling with a faulty steering wheel display before the entire wheel completely detached from the car in his hands.
"It wasn't fitting properly on the column," Alonso explained post-session. "The mechanics quickly changed the parts and I was able to run again."
The episode compounds a bleak period for the Silverstone-based team, whose performance has plummeted since early 2023. "It could be a long season," remarked the 43-year-old, set to drive Adrian Newey's first Aston Martin design next year.
Spanish broadcaster Antonio Lobato called the incident emblematic of Aston Martin's struggles. "Brutal," he said on DAZN. "A skinny dog is all fleas."
Due to the gravity of a steering wheel detaching at speed, the FIA has ordered Aston Martin engineers to submit a detailed explanation, per Sky Italia.
"A sanction cannot be ruled out," the outlet noted, "both in the case of a technical problem, which would be very serious, or in the case of a simple attempt by Alonso to reset."
