Honda admits Aston Martin engine still ‘not where we want’ before Suzuka

Honda’s Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer, Shintaro Orihara, said the power unit supplier had made “progress” in China but conceded the performance of their engine was still a long way off.

Aston Martin and Honda are in the midst of a crisis as both sides point fingers over a car which is both slow and potentially uncomfortable for the drivers.

Honda chief gives battery update ahead of Suzuka

Much hope had been given to the Aston Martin project considering the staff hired and the money spent but early in pre-season, whispers began over issues with the Silverstone team.

This weekend poses a crucial milestone in Honda’s calendar with their home race in Suzuka, but even the most optimistic predictions would not see them overcoming their problems in such a short space of time.

Ahead of the race, Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer, said “progress” had been made on the battery but temper expectations.

“In China, we made some progress in terms of battery reliability thanks to a reduction in the vibration affecting the systems, but we must find more solutions to establish the cause of the vibrations affecting the drivers,” he said.

“We have also focused our efforts in the gap between China and Japan to continue to improve our reliability, but still our performance is not where we want it to be, especially regarding energy management. Suzuka Circuit is a tough track for this, so we have been using the learnings from Australia and China to prepare better for the Japanese Grand Prix.

More on Aston from PlanetF1.com

* Why Jonathan Wheatley walked away from Audi and where he could land next
* David Coulthard questions Fernando Alonso complaints amid Aston Martin vibration concerns
* Fernando Alonso to miss Japan FP1 as Aston Martin reserve steps in

“We are not at the level where we wanted to be going into this weekend, but we will keep working hard to maximise our package. We are looking forward to seeing the home crowd and the Honda fans. I want them to see that we have made some progress since Bahrain.”

A shred of comfort for Honda will be their recent record at Suzuka with Max Verstappen winning the past four events.

Orihara said he will use the support of the home crowd for his motivation this weekend.

“Before I joined the Honda Formula 1 project, I was a big fan of Honda and motorsport. I have been attending Suzuka for decades; I was always excited to watch the sessions and cheer for Honda, so I know how passionate the fans are.

“Now I am proud to work in front of them, and we will keep pushing hard to show them what we can do. We know we can count on their support even if we would like to show better results on track.”

Read next: American billionaire joins race to buy Alpine F1 team stake