Honda admits double handicap as Aston Martin partnership gets off to troubled start
Fernando Alonso stopped less than an hour into the afternoon session on the penultimate day of testing
Honda admits it faces a double handicap as it returns to Formula 1 as a full-time engine supplier, after a troubled start to its new works partnership with Aston Martin.
This year, Honda is back on the grid, not just as a technical partner to assist Red Bull in running the rebranded Honda power units under its Red Bull Powertrains division, but as an engine manufacturer in what is effectively a works deal with Aston Martin.
Honda outlines delayed return and cost cap hurdles with Aston Martin
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
The partnership, though, did not get off to the best start.
Aston Martin made a late appearance at the behind-closed-doors shakedown, spending only an hour on the second day and a full day running the AMR26.While the team was present in Bahrain for the first official pre-season outing, niggles curtailed its running, as they did again in the final test.
The final test came to an early end when Honda announced on the final morning that Aston Martin had to limit its programme due to battery issues and a parts shortage.
More on F1 engines
F1 2026 uncovered: How Boost, Overtake, and sustainable fuel change the game
Explained: How F1’s new ‘overtaking mode’ will work in 2026
A statement from Honda read: “Our last run with Fernando Alonso yesterday [Thursday] showed a battery-related issue that impacted our test plan with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team.
“Since then, we have been carrying out simulations on the test bench in HRC Sakura.
“Due to this and a shortage of power unit parts, we have adapted today’s run plan to be very limited and consist only of short stints.”
While Mercedes, the busiest team on track, covered 432 laps over the three days, Aston Martin did just 128.
Tetsushi Tsunoda, who is in charge of power unit development at Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) revealed the problem Honda is having to overcome is two-fold.
Not only did it confirm in late 2022 that it had signed up for 2026, a year later than its rivals, but by the time it did begin working on its power unit, a budget cap was in place after 2022’s free speeding.
“Of course, it is a handicap that the start was delayed due to the lack of full-scale development until the announcement of our return,” Tsunoda told AS-WEB.
The issue was compounded by F1’s decision to introduce an engine cost cap in 2023.
That meant Honda, like its rival power unit manufacturers, was not able to just throw money at a problem until a solution was found.
However, those who had signed up already in 2022, had leeway back then before the cost cap came into effect.
“This time there is a cost cap, so it’s different from before,” he explained. “In the past, the company could be serious and concentrate its resources like with the help of Honda+, but now it is not easy.
“You can’t spread a lot of seeds like when you achieved fast combustion.
“Other manufacturers did not have a cost cap until 2022, so they were able to sow a lot of seeds in the period until then, but from 2023, when we announced our return, a new cost cap system was introduced for power unit manufacturers, and they were not able to sow seeds freely.”
But as Honda recovered from the infamous 2015 ‘GP2’ criticism from Fernando Alonso at McLaren to win the 2021 title with Max Verstappen at Red Bull, Tsunoda believes the Japanese manufacturer will find the key to success.
“I think I found high-speed combustion during the 2017 season. However, if you turn it for a while, the horsepower will disappear. Through trial and error, it was finally completed in 2018.”
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read next: Max Verstappen says he is ‘closer to the end’ of F1 career
