(Motorsport-Total.com) – Adrian Newey has revealed that Aston Martin only realized in November 2025 how inexperienced Honda’s new Formula 1 team actually is. The project differs fundamentally from the successful years with Red Bull Racing. Many experienced engineers are no longer there.
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When Newey appeared at the FIA press conference in Melbourne, the tense situation was already palpable. The team principal shared more details than during the winter tests. He revealed that Honda only had two batteries left for the first race weekend of 2026. But the most important statement was a different one.
It concerned the overall state of the Honda project. It is known that the current structure is not comparable to that of the Red Bull era. Newey confirmed this publicly on Friday and explained the background. He emphasized that history is important here.
Difficult Restart
“Honda exited at the end of 2021. They returned, so to speak, at the end of 2022, so they were out of competition for about a year. When they regrouped, a large part of the original group had dissolved and was working on solar panels or whatever,” said Newey.
He added: “Many in the newly formed group are newcomers to Formula 1. They didn’t bring the experience they used to have.” The 2023 comeback also fell into the first year of the budget cap for engines. The competition had developed freely in 2021 and 2022.
According to Newey, Honda started with an estimated only 30 percent of the original team and under budget restrictions. “So they had a very difficult start and unfortunately struggled to catch up,” the Briton explained the difficult starting position of the project.
Was Aston Martin Clueless?
Particularly noteworthy is that, according to Newey, Aston Martin was unaware of this situation for a long time. The works team contract with Honda was announced in May 2023. At that time, Lawrence Stroll’s organization was apparently not aware of the extent of the inexperience at Honda.
“No, we didn’t know that. We only became aware of it in November last year when Lawrence, Andy Cowell, and I traveled to Tokyo,” Newey said. The occasion was rumors that Honda would not reach the targeted performance goals for the first race.
Newey further: “It turned out that many of the original employees had not returned when operations resumed.” This statement is explosive if it does not serve a political purpose. Other teams suspect the communication could be aimed at the FIA to obtain more development opportunities.
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Inexperienced Works Team No Advantage
Should this not be the case, the situation revealed by Newey would be sobering. It would mean that Aston Martin did not fully know what it was getting into when signing the contract. This raises questions regarding the preliminary checks carried out.
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The status as a works team sounded tempting and is so in the long term. But the new partner was significantly weaker than during the Red Bull years. The integration of the power unit into the chassis is theoretically a great advantage, but also carries a risk.
Aston Martin could request complex solutions that Honda doesn’t say no to. For an inexperienced group, however, these could be too ambitious. Japanese media reported on such scenarios before the Australian Grand Prix, which HRC President Koji Watanabe denied.
Honda Has Own People Instead of External Knowledge
It is a difficult balance. Optimal integration of engine and chassis must be exploited. But given the current problems, Honda must first create the basics. That alone seems to be a challenge.
The projects of Honda and Red Bull Powertrains are difficult to compare. Red Bull built its engine department on its own campus in Milton Keynes. Honda operates mainly from Sakura. This alone creates a completely different reality logistically.
Furthermore, Red Bull has recruited massive external expertise, especially from Mercedes HPP. Former Honda employees were also hired. Honda, on the other hand, built the current project mostly from within, which is why, according to Newey, Formula 1 experience is lacking.
Red Bull’s decision to take things into their own hands was born out of necessity. It followed Honda’s decision to officially leave Formula 1 at the end of 2021. Had Honda not pulled the plug prematurely, the project would look different today.
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