(Motorsport-Total.com) – When Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey appeared at the FIA press conference during the season opener in Melbourne on Friday, the legendary designer attracted attention for several reasons.
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Newey spoke openly about Honda’s battery problems, admitted that his role as team principal had somewhat distracted him from his design tasks, and said – somewhat exaggeratedly – that Honda had mainly been occupied with solar panels in recent years.
However, the most interesting remark came later. Newey revealed that Aston Martin’s management only realized in November 2025 that the composition of Honda’s Formula 1 project was completely different from the glorious years with Red Bull.
The fact that this only became clear in November 2025 still sounds strange considering that the partnership had already been agreed upon in 2023. What does this say about the homework Aston Martin had done – or not done? And didn’t the team already know exactly what it was getting into years earlier?
Although this raises questions about Aston Martin’s approach, there is a logical explanation from Honda’s perspective. The general manager responsible for track deployment and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara says this is closely linked to the overarching philosophy of the Japanese manufacturer.
“Honda is a very unique company. That’s why employees constantly switch between road vehicle projects and the Formula 1 project,” Orihara says in an exclusive interview with Motorsport-Total.com.
Newcomers had to get used to Formula 1 first
“Last year, many – not new, but some very talented – employees joined from road vehicle projects. Others had previously worked on the Red Bull project,” he emphasizes and explains: “We constantly develop talents in our Formula 1 project to expand Honda’s knowledge.”
The idea behind this is that the entire company benefits from the knowledge gained in Formula 1. However, building the project with mostly new employees also brought significant disadvantages.
During the initial development phase, there was a lack of specific Formula 1 experience. According to Orihara, Honda eventually came to this conclusion: “Probably our general development level among employees at the end of last year was still not sufficient for Formula 1.”
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“During the winter test, we then had some pretty difficult moments. However, these situations helped develop our employees further. They learned a lot about what is required for working in Formula 1,” says Orihara.
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“They already had sufficient knowledge and skills at a high level. However, through these difficult moments, they gained experience on how to work in Formula 1.”
The first months of 2026 were a steep learning curve for the inexperienced staff. The employees had to quickly adapt to the demands of Formula 1. Honda also responded in other ways.
How Honda responded to the problems
When it became clear at the end of 2025 that the workforce had not yet reached the required level, Honda, according to Orihara, brought back several employees with experience from the Red Bull era into the Formula 1 project. They were to provide additional know-how and further experience in the short term.
“We brought back some colleagues who had previously worked on the Red Bull project. As a result, we now have more employees in our Formula 1 team who bring experience from the Red Bull project,” explains Orihara.
Together with the experience the newer team members have gained, Honda’s Formula 1 project is now at the required level, according to Orihara. This partly explains the difficult build-up phase, although several factors played a role.
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At the same time, it explains why Honda looks to the future with greater confidence. “In addition, our new employees gained important experience during the winter test. I think we have since developed well in the development of our workforce,” says Orihara.
“Now I am confident that we are well positioned to develop a strong power unit and also an efficient energy management system for the coming years,” emphasizes the Japanese engineer.
Honda has already indicated that the company wants to return to the “race level” of performance for the power unit, as Orihara called it, with the upgrade in Zandvoort. By the end of 2027 or early 2028, Honda aims to become a “top competitor” in Formula 1 again.
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