Though confident that progress is being made in terms of the bad vibrations from the Honda engine, Aston Martin is less forthcoming when it comes to spare batteries.

In Melbourne last week, Adrian Newey revealed that a shortage of batteries meant the team might have to restrict its running, when asked if there were spares he admitted that there were none.

In a joint press conference this morning in Shanghai, all was going well until the topic of batteries was raised again.

We are trying to repair the battery," said Shintaro Orihara, Honda's trackside general manager. "We saw some good progress in terms of repairing.

"I can't say detail point," he admitted, "but we are keeping working hard to repair the battery. So, maybe we can repair the battery, because that battery issue is not relating to vibration, just small things inside the battery."

Asked how many batteries are available this weekend, he replied: "We can't say the exact number, but we keep trying to repair the battery to get more spares. But, sorry, I can't say the number."

At this point, Mike Krack quickly interjected.

"I think we should not... What is the point if we go on about the number of batteries?" he said. "I don't think that this is something that we should try to insist on, insist on and insist on," he snapped.

"We have a situation that was disclosed in Melbourne, and I don't think that we should continue on this battery number discussion, if you allow."

"I want to focus to the technical side in this meeting," said Orihara, aware of Krack's growing frustration. "Is that okay for you?

"We have found some progress on the vibration situation, and then still we keep working hard to reduce vibration," he said. "Still, reliability is our challenging point to improve. So still we are working hard in dialogue with Aston Martin, and then we found something, another countermeasure, so maybe we can try something.

"Also, we have accumulated mileage in the race, so we learned something from the race event for the driveability and also energy management. So, we implement that learning into our simulation system."

"It's a difficult situation, obviously," said Krack, having calmed down. "Nobody wants to be in that position, but the drivers are part of the team, just like we are, and we are in this together. So, we have to try and find ways to work together.

"Sometimes it's more emotional, sometimes it is more constructive, and you have to understand that the drivers are in a unique situation because they have to do what we do all the time here.

"After every session, they have to answer questions and they have to answer questions that are really difficult to them. And often they do not have a solution or they do not have the right answer to give. So, I think their frustration level is understandably a little bit higher.

"Every lap you do is important," he admitted. "When you go racing, that has to be the first target. So, we'll try. I think with the steps we have made, with further steps that we are going to try this weekend, it will bring us closer to that, and that will obviously be the target."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Superbird70, 4 hours ago

"I expect Larry to sell up soon, and then Lance is going on to the pro tennis circuit."

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2. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 4 hours ago

"Aston Martin is a near virtual dream team of staff and facilities, and this is what they have come up?

Where did it all go wrong? From top to bottom it's an impressive CV. Paper and reality don't always line up."

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3. Posted by Chester, 4 hours ago

"Repair a battery. We know Aston Martin is not a shoe string operation, but this feels like that old TV comedy "Sanford and Son", operating out of a junk yard. How far F1 has fallen."

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Aston Martin coy on spares

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