What Honda staff are now saying ‘off the record’ about Aston Martin’s 2026 F1 engine

Honda’s new partnership with Aston Martin could be the one that defines the next era of Lawrence Stroll’s Formula 1 team.

In 2026, Aston Martin will become a works F1 team, gaining sole access to Honda power units as part of the new agreement between both sides.

Even though they’re separated by thousands of miles, the link between Silverstone and Honda’s base looks strong already.

But there are growing concerns about how their 2026 engine is shaping up. And for Adrian Newey, now in charge at Aston Martin, anything related to performance is going to be worth watching closely.

Fernando Alonso is heading into what could be his final season in Formula 1. After everything he’s been through over the years, he won’t want another campaign derailed by Honda issues. He remembers that story all too well from his time at McLaren.

Aston Martin will likely look back on Honda’s previous success with Red Bull as a sign they can get things right this time around.

The big question now is whether their preparations for 2026 are coming together quickly enough. Scott Mitchell-Malm has raised concerns that Honda might have started work too late to hit top form straight away under the new rules.

Honda Admit They Started Late on 2026 Power Unit for Aston Martin

Speaking on The Race F1 Podcast, Mitchell-Malm discussed Honda’s timeline for their new engine project, saying: “You speak to some people who are inside Honda or were inside Honda at the time.

“When Honda itself left, the Sakura R&D program from an F1 perspective was basically taken down to very little, enough to keep an eye on the 2026 rules just in case, and then basically just enough from an assembly and maintenance perspective.

“I’ve spoken to people on and off the record at Honda, and even Koji Watanabe, who’s effectively in charge of the project, has admitted to me on the record that they lost up to a year basically of development by the time it got announced with Aston Martin, you were into spring of 2023.

“That’s way too late versus what other people were doing. Other manufacturers were doing in terms of preparing, and they’re kind of open about the fact that they’ve had to try and do things to try and catch up.

“But they have had to try and catch up. They did not start this at the same time.

“I do not understand what Honda have done, and it’s not a strategy, and it’s a consequence of not being a strategy.”

Mitchell-Malm went on: “And it doesn’t mean that they’re going to be terrible and they’ll never catch up even if they do start on the back foot.”

“But it’s just important for people to recognise that Honda should be on the back foot and has been on the back foot in development terms for the last couple of years.”

Hill Thinks Adrian Newey Could Deliver an Early Shock for Aston Martin

Aston Martin’s technical staff, on paper, is as strong as any team in Formula 1.

With Alonso driving, Newey overseeing design, and Andy Cowell managing power unit development, the expectation is that they should be able to compete near the sharp end of the grid.

But progress doesn’t happen overnight. Time is a big factor here, especially for Alonso, who may not have much of it left at this level. And even if Aston Martin or Honda do find something special, there’s no guarantee others won’t catch up quickly.

Damon Hill believes Newey could help Aston Martin spring a surprise or two this season. But until we see how testing unfolds, it’s impossible to gauge just how much catching up they’ll need to do.

The team could look to further strengthen their line-up heading into 2027. But before that happens, they’ll need to prove they’re a step up from what drivers already have elsewhere.