The inside story of Honda's painful start with Aston Martin
www.the-race.com
July 18, 2026, 7:15 a.m.
Honda's partnership with Aston Martin in Formula 1 has faced significant challenges this season, with performance falling far short of expectations. Despite Honda's proven track record of developing championship-winning turbo hybrid V6 engines for Red Bull, the company encountered unexpected difficulties with excessive vibrations and performance deficits. According to Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe, the struggles stem from multiple simultaneous changes rather than engine design alone. These include new regulations, a new fuel supplier, a new team partner, and altered working processes. While the engine vibrations themselves proved manageable, the collision of new rules, relationships, and car dynamics with legacy decisions created unforeseen complications for the manufacturer.