Honda opens up on ‘inactivity’ delay as Hamilton asks ‘uncomfortable questions’ – round-up
Honda has returned to F1 with Aston Martin in 2026
It is time to bring you up to speed with the best of Tuesday’s F1 news. Honda and Lewis Hamilton feature prominently among the headlines.
Honda has claimed to be feeling the impacts of a delayed start to its F1 2026 engine programme, while Lewis Hamilton was left asking “uncomfortable questions” of himself ahead of the new season, after a disappointing 2025. All this and more, so let’s take a closer look.
Honda ‘inactivity’ delay hurting Aston Martin project
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Honda U-turned on its decision to leave Formula 1 by signing up to the new engine formula, and joining forces with Aston Martin.
But, Honda has admitted to a gap between the rules coming out, and getting the green light so that a new engineering team could be brought together.
Honda believes it is now feeling the effects, as it heads into F1 2026 with Aston Martin off the back of a challenging pre-season.
Read more – Honda admits ‘inactivity’ delay hurting Aston Martin F1 2026 engine push
Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 2025 reflections
Over at Ferrari, a renewed push for title glory will commence in F1 2026. There is optimism surrounding the Scuderia after a strong run through Bahrain testing, which included setting the ultimate pace.
For Hamilton, he is looking to bounce back from an underwhelming first season in Ferrari red. He asked himself “uncomfortable questions” over the winter break, as he plotted what changes he needed to make for F1 2026.
Read more – Lewis Hamilton asked himself ‘uncomfortable questions’ after difficult Ferrari debut
FIA postpones WEC Qatar season-opener
The first round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship, set to be held in Qatar at the end of March, has been postponed.
The decision comes following days of military conflict and geopolitical tensions in the Gulf region, which has seen Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates hit by missile strikes from Iran.
Read more – FIA postpones WEC Qatar 1812km as Formula 1 monitors Gulf situation
Sky F1’s Natalie Pinkham given ‘all clear’
Some good news ahead of the new Formula 1 season.
Sky F1’s Natalie Pinkham has confirmed that she will return to presenting duties at the Japanese Grand Prix having been given “the all clear” following neck surgery last year.
Read more – Beloved Sky F1 presenter given ‘all clear’ after ‘quite difficult five months’
Bottas sets Cadillac F1 target amid Melbourne grid penalty
Formula 1’s newest team Cadillac will make its debut in Melbourne.
Valtteri Bottas, who serves a carry-over five-place grid penalty this weekend, says “clear progress” would represent a “successful” first season for the Cadillac team in F1 2026.
Read more – Valtteri Bottas sets ‘clear’ Cadillac target for F1 2026 as Australian GP penalty looms
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Read next: Max Verstappen reveals why he is ‘not driving at 102 per cent’
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