Adrian Newey, former director of Aston Martin, has warned that Honda engines pose a risk of permanent nerve damage to drivers. The vibrations from the engine can lead to failures in the batteries in the engine's hybrid system, which have been discovered during pre-season testing. Honda F1 boss Koji Watanabe stated that they will only know if these measures are effective once the car starts running on track on Friday. The team has introduced countermeasures to prevent vibrations from reaching the battery, which are still being transmitted into the chassis and into the steering. The Honda engine is also significantly underperforming as F1 begins a new engine regulation period based on a 50-50 split between the internal combustion (ICE) and electrical parts of the hybrid engine. Newey stated that Aston Martin was behind in chassis performance terms and that the car has significant potential in development.