Aston Martin and Honda: the F1 partnership which promised flair but has only seen despair
· Yahoo Sports
To say it is not the Suzuka homecoming Honda would have envisaged would be one V6 engine-sized understatement. Teaming up with Aston Martin as its new power unit provider this season, the Japanese automotive giant has endured a horrid, reputation-damaging start to the 2026 Formula One campaign. And the blame game has already started.
There were whispers at the start of the year that Honda was some way behind in its engine development. To a point, concerns were pushed to one side after a unique “engine provider” season launch on 20 January in Tokyo. The big bosses all stood side by side, suited and booted, and gave the usual platitudes of potential and performance.
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It was a statement-making reintroduction into the sport for Honda, with a touch of flair. But behind the steely demeanour of Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll was discontent. In hindsight, it was a foolhardy event.
Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll (second left) at Honda’s launch event in January (Getty)Turning up three and a half days late to the first pre-season test in Barcelona was the first clue that something was amiss. The official release of timings at subsequent tests in Bahrain and notable absences from the track were the second clue. And the third clue came pounding home at the season-opener in Australia, before a car had even been run.
With the press called to a surprise media briefing, team principal Adrian Newey, one of F1’s greatest-ever designers, revealed the severity of the AMR26 car’s vibrations was giving the team’s drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, concerns about “permanent nerve damage” to their hands and feet. The minimum goal of completing a grand prix distance of laps was cast aside.
And by the time action started on track, Aston were flailing at the back with F1’s newest team, Cadillac. They were around three seconds off the frontrunners.
Newey, called into the Friday press conference in Melbourne, revealed that it was only “last November” that Aston realised the scale of Honda’s lack of resources. “They [Honda] re-entered with, let’s say, 30 per cent of their original team, and now in a budget cap era. So they started very much on the back foot, and unfortunately, they’ve struggled to catch back up.”
Newey added: “I feel powerless.” Three weeks on, Honda president Koji Watanabe fired back.
“I think that it’s a misunderstanding,” he said on Friday of Newey’s comments. “Basically, our policy is to rotate the engineers of the motorsport regularly to mass production or more advanced technologies like jet or eVTOL or hydrology or something like that.
Adrian Newey says he feels ‘powerless’ (Getty)“So that is, we continue to rotate from the beginning. Probably my explanation is not enough. Also, of course, to rebuild the organisation took a bit of time, so that was his worry, I think. But now we have sufficient organisation and talent.”
The division, therefore, is palpable. With Aston devoting over £1bn in recent years to a new factory, wind tunnel and simulator tools at Silverstone – as well as £20m-a-year on Newey – they’re keen to shift blame to their “teammates” in Tokyo. Honda, which has previously endured strife with a torrid partnership with McLaren in the mid-2010s, is keen to keep relations cordial in front of the media.
“Of course, only the PU [power unit] cannot solve the problem,” Watanabe added. “So we are really closely together with Aston Martin Aramco to solve the problem, not only the power unit, but also together with the chassis.”
Fernando Alonso had to retire from the last race in China due to the discomfort (Getty)Friday practice at the Japanese Grand Prix, in which McLaren set the fastest time ahead of Mercedes, did not show any improvement. In fact, on average, Aston were slower than Cadillac by six-tenths of a second – and nearly four seconds behind the table-toppers.
What does it mean for two-time world champion Alonso? Will the 44-year-old – who became a father for the first time this week – think about calling it a day? He’s refused to confirm his future beyond this season and, at this rate, it is fathomable he could make a call before Abu Dhabi in December.
Yet for Aston, who previously used the now-standout engine on the grid in Mercedes, the road to salvation looks a long one. There are murmurs that Jonathan Wheatley could join after his surprise Audi exit last week.
But this is not a one-man fix. Nor a one-entity fix. Both Aston and Honda need to gel together quickly – and start fixing the issues in tandem, rather than stoking the fire.