(Motorsport-Total.com) – According to Honda, the major engine upgrade for Aston Martin is planned for the Grand Prix in Zandvoort. “We are working hard to do our job and bring new power to the start in the Netherlands,” said Honda chief engineer Shintaro Orihara. “That is our goal.”
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According to the chief engineer, no major adjustments are needed on the chassis of the AMR26. “Our focus is on improving the performance of the engine,” explains Orihara. “In addition, we will adjust the pre-chamber and change the shape of the combustion chamber to increase the performance of our internal combustion engine.”
Although Honda would have the opportunity to bring two upgrades for their engine to the start due to their ADUO classification. After all, according to the FIA ranking, the internal combustion component of the power unit is more than four percent behind the benchmark set by Red Bull. But since the race in Spielberg, we know that the company is limiting itself to one major upgrade this year.
For this, according to Orihara, work is being done on the B-level and the lubrication system of the engine. However, the chief engineer does not want to commit to an exact horsepower figure, at least not publicly: “I know the number on the test bench, but I cannot disclose it. Instead of a small step, we are aiming for a bigger leap.”
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“But,” admits Orihara, “there is no magic in Formula 1. So I don’t believe we can catch up to Mercedes or Red Bull in one step. But we will make a very good step.”
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The upgrade for Zandvoort is just one of many steps. While the announced upgrade is currently being prepared, according to information from Motorsport-Total.com, work is being done separately in Sakura (Japan) on the engine for 2027.
The upcoming upgrade is not directly related to the gearbox problems that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have often mentioned. “That is a different topic,” says Orihara. With the new power unit, the next step is to focus on and improve the drivability of the engine.
However, the weaknesses of the power unit do not stop at performance or drivability. Weight and reliability have also caused Aston Martin some headaches. Vibrations in the first few races even caused Alonso and Stroll to be unable to finish a full race distance.
In 2026, there will probably be hardly any big points to be gained for the Silverstone-based racing team. So far, the former Jordan team has only scored a single point, and Alonso was only able to secure this after a penalty against Sergio Perez. Otherwise, the project around Adrian Newey remains a series of failures, bad luck, and mishaps.