– Will Aston Martin soon make real progress? The racing team wants to finally introduce its big update package at the race in Hungary before the summer break, and now engine partner Honda has also hinted at when its major upgrade in the 2026 Formula 1 season will come: right after the summer break.
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This can be concluded from the words of Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer, who for the first time gives a clear schedule in the preview of the Belgian Grand Prix. There he says: “We still have two races ahead of us before we introduce the new engine.”
That means: Belgium and Hungary will still be run with the current powertrain before the next upgrade stage is triggered in Zandvoort.
“It is important to continue learning with the current specification so that we can take these insights on energy delivery into future races – such as Monza, where we also have long straights,” says the Japanese engineer.
Is it going in the right direction?
For Aston Martin and Honda, the two planned improvements to the car and engine represent an important point, as they set the further course amid a disastrous season in which the green cars are only fighting with the newcomer Cadillac at the back of the field – if at all.
Fernando Alonso’s only point was the result of a turbulent Monaco Grand Prix, where he was still in 14th place eight laps from the end.
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Honda’s power unit was rated as the weakest on the grid within the new ADUO mechanism. This means it receives additional upgrade opportunities that will be implemented in Zandvoort. However, it is already known that Honda will only use one of the two possible ADUO upgrades.
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Aston Martin has openly focused on concentrating its resources on the 2027 car, as it is unlikely that the team will catch up with the midfield this year due to the budget cap and restrictions on aerodynamic testing.
Nothing to gain in Belgium and Hungary?
Meanwhile, the AMR26 is expected to struggle again in Belgium and Hungary. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll qualified in the last row for both races in Silverstone, more than a second behind the leading Cadillac and over two seconds away from making it into Q2.
“Spa will be a test for manufacturers in terms of energy management, so we have to think carefully about how to use the MGU-K power on the long straights,” Orihara looks ahead. “Energy recovery is quite limited here, even considering the track length. That puts more emphasis on the right deployment plan.”
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“The straights are also generally a strain on the power unit – not only in terms of performance but also reliability.”
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“An additional unknown is the changeable weather conditions at the track. It stayed dry in Silverstone, so Spa could be the first time we encounter truly wet conditions in a session. When it comes to the weather, anything can happen here,” he says.
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