Fernando Alonso issues health update after vibrations scare

Fernando Alonso has issued a health update after being forced to retire from the Chinese Grand Prix due to vibrations causing significant discomfort.

The two-time champion pulled into the Aston Martin garage to retire on lap 34 at the Shanghai International Circuit, having been unable to deal with the discomfort any longer.

Ahead of the season-opener in Australia, team boss Adrian Newey revealed that both of the team's drivers were at risk of permanent nerve damage in their hands due to chassis vibrations caused by Honda's battery.

Onboard footage during the Chinese GP showed Alonso having to let go of his steering wheel for brief periods to ease the vibrations in his hands.

However, the Spaniard confirmed the vibrations were also felt in his feet, prompting him to retire while running last and a lap down.

"Yeah, I probably could not have finished the race anyway," Alonso told select media, including RacingNews365. "The vibration level was very high today at one point.

"From lap 20 to 35 I was struggling a little bit to feel my hands and my feet, and we were one lap behind. We were last, and there was probably no point in carrying on."

The majority of Alonso's Chinese GP had been smooth until the vibrations became too severe, with him revealing that they were at their worst during the race.

This was despite Aston Martin not running its car at full power, as revealed by the 44-year-old.

Asked if the vibrations were worse in the race, Alonso replied: "Yeah, it was worse today than in any other session across the weekend, to be honest. For whatever reason, I don't know.

"And then, yeah, some of the steps we took were achieved artificially. I mean, just lowering the RPM of the engine and things like that, so everything vibrates less.

"But in the race, obviously you still need to go high in the RPM when you make an overtaking move, or when you have to recharge or something like that.

"So yeah, obviously over time it becomes more difficult, more demanding."