The first season of the partnership between Aston Martin and Honda started with difficulties. However, the Japanese manufacturer assures that the British team never sought to blame its engine supplier.
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The new partnership between Aston Martin and Honda was one of the most anticipated projects of the 2026 season. But after eleven Grands Prix, the record is far from the ambitions displayed before the start of the championship.
Lack of performance, reliability issues, and significant vibrations notably related to the battery have considerably disrupted the debut of the new Honda power unit. Aston Martin thus occupies tenth place in the constructors’ championship with only one point.
The situation even took a worrying turn during the first races. Adrian Newey notably revealed that the vibrations felt by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were significant enough to raise concerns about their physical consequences.
Despite these difficulties, Honda assures that its partner has never adopted an accusatory attitude.
“They never complained about Honda”
Shintaro Orihara, chief engineer and head of track operations at Honda, acknowledges that the winter tests immediately put the new partnership under pressure.
“During the winter tests, as you know, we went through a difficult period. But on the circuits, from the start of the season, our relationship was already good, notably thanks to Mike [Krack].”
According to the Japanese official, Aston Martin prioritized finding solutions rather than assigning blame.
“They never complained to Honda. Obviously, we are professionals, so we discuss the problem and how we should react, but they have always respected Honda.”
This cooperation even gradually strengthened as technical problems multiplied.
“When we encountered the battery vibration problems, we worked even more closely together. I think our level of communication and our relationship improved throughout the season.”
Daily meetings between Honda and Aston Martin
The scale of the difficulties encountered during the winter required considerable mobilization from both organizations.
Aston Martin had covered fewer kilometers than all other teams during the pre-season tests, notably due to problems affecting the new Honda power unit.
Orihara reveals that the engineers from Honda Racing Corporation in Sakura and those from Aston Martin then organized daily meetings.
“We had meetings between Japan, HRC Sakura, and Aston Martin every day when we encountered these problems. Every day, we discussed what we needed to do.”
The top priority was then the battery.
“During the winter tests, we had battery problems and it was critical. Without countermeasures, we would not have been able to survive the first, second, and third races.”
The two partners therefore worked tirelessly between the tests and the first Grand Prix to find a temporary solution.
“Between the winter tests and the first race, we discussed every day what we needed to do. Together, we brought a countermeasure for the first race and we managed to hold on.”
Particularly worrying vibrations
While this intervention helped avoid further failures related to the battery, it did not completely eliminate the vibrations affecting the car.
In Melbourne, Newey had made a worrying observation. Some parts, notably the mirrors, were subjected to significant vibrations while Alonso had reported numbness in his hands and feet.
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Despite this succession of difficulties, Orihara assures that no cultural conflict has appeared between the two partners.
Honda already has extensive experience collaborating with European organizations, notably McLaren and Red Bull.
“This is not the first time Honda has worked with British teams. We have a lot of experience with McLaren, Red Bull, but also with Italian teams.”
“So I think cultural differences or language barriers are not a problem.”
Challenges have strengthened the partnership
Paradoxically, Orihara even believes that this complicated period has helped bring Honda and Aston Martin closer.
“Thanks to the difficult moments we have gone through, our relationship has become quite strong. I think we are now in a good position regarding the relationship between Honda and Aston Martin.”
On the sporting side, the assessment remains particularly harsh. Aston Martin has recorded ten retirements in the first eleven Grands Prix and has regularly found itself fighting at the back of the grid.
However, the Hungarian Grand Prix brought a first encouraging sign.
Aston Martin introduced a significant package including 16 modifications, notably work on weight reduction and aerodynamics. Alonso judged the car significantly better, while Newey spoke of an encouraging first step.
A major Honda upgrade expected at Zandvoort
This chassis improvement could now be accompanied by progress on the engine side.
Honda is set to introduce at Zandvoort its first major evolution of the power unit thanks to the ADUO mechanism, for “Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities”.
This system allows engine manufacturers lagging significantly behind the reference to benefit from additional development opportunities.
Honda had two possibilities in 2026 but chose to focus its efforts on a single major upgrade planned after the summer break.
The Dutch event could therefore represent an important step: Aston Martin has just demonstrated that its chassis could improve and Honda will now try to reduce part of its engine deficit.
Honda remains determined to return to the top
Despite a much more complicated start to the partnership than hoped, Honda does not intend to lower its ambitions.
“If we are the best competitor, that is obviously the ideal scenario. But when there is a big challenge, it also gives us a lot of motivation.”
Orihara notably emphasizes the philosophy of the Japanese manufacturer.
“At Honda, our mindset is always to never give up. The bigger the challenge, the greater our motivation also is.”
The current situation is therefore far from satisfying Honda, but the manufacturer prefers to see it as an opportunity to demonstrate its ability to react.
“This is clearly not a situation we can be happy with at the moment, but we are excited to see how we can improve our performance and eventually catch up with the best competitors.”
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