Former Honda engine chief Yasuaki Asaki believes that the latest developments designed under Adrian Newey’s direction could allow Aston Martin to become a Q3 contender.
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Former Honda engine chief Yasuaki Asaki believes that the latest developments designed under Adrian Newey’s direction could allow Aston Martin to become a regular Q3 contender during the second half of the 2026 season.
The start of the championship has been particularly difficult for the Silverstone team, penalized both by the lack of competitiveness of its chassis and by the difficulties encountered by Honda with its new power unit.
A promising Q2 in Budapest
But the Hungarian Grand Prix brought the first encouraging signs. Aston Martin introduced a deeply revised AMR26 with a package including sixteen developments. Fernando Alonso notably managed to reach Q2 for the first time this season.
For Asaki, this progress is all the more promising as it was achieved before the arrival of the next Honda engine upgrade: “I think we are currently at a stage where we are judged on how quickly we can regain our former level, he explains. It would already be an excellent result for Honda if this power unit upgrade allowed them to regularly fight in the midfield.”
The chassis improvements now place more pressure on Honda, which must reduce its deficit during the second half of the championship.
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“The chassis upgrades have significantly improved competitiveness and, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso reached Q2 for the first time this season, continues Asaki. Since they achieved this without a power unit upgrade, I hope they can now reach a level allowing them to aim for the top 10.”
Honda now under scrutiny
Aston Martin still needs to learn to fully exploit its new package. According to information from the team, its potential could be better controlled by the Spanish Grand Prix in September.
Asaki is therefore ambitious for the future: “The improved chassis has just been introduced and I expect its optimization to progress quickly. In the long term, it would not be surprising to see them become regulars in Q3.”
The former Honda chief also retains full confidence in the Japanese manufacturer’s engineers, led on the ground by Shintaro Orihara (photo above), despite their initial difficulties: “Honda experienced a setback in the development of its power unit this season, but I have no doubt about the capabilities of the young engineers.”
For Asaki, the goal goes far beyond simply returning to the points: he remains convinced that Aston Martin and Honda will eventually be able to fight together for the world title.
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