Aston Martin will combine further floor and front-wing changes with Honda’s upgraded power unit at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix as the team attempts to build on the progress delivered by its substantial Budapest package. The new engine specification, tested in Hungary after the Grand Prix and before Formula 1’s summer break, will be Honda’s only major power unit upgrade of the season.
Zandvoort will therefore represent an important test for the wider Aston Martin–Honda project. The aerodynamic changes are expected to provide a smaller gain than the Budapest package, while the power unit must demonstrate improved performance, driveability and reliability under competitive conditions. The work will also help shape Honda’s development direction for 2027 and 2028.
Aston Martin Dutch GP upgrades build on Budapest package
After introducing a substantial package in Hungary, Aston Martin has prepared further modifications for Zandvoort based on the information gathered during the previous round. Mike Krack explained that these are targeted changes, with the team not expecting another performance leap comparable to its Budapest upgrade breakthrough.
“There are a couple of changes. From an aerodynamic point of view, we will declare them tomorrow: they concern the floor and front wing. Everything comes from the data collected in Budapest. I think they will deliver a small step forward,” Mike Krack said.
The weekend’s priority, however, will be getting the new Honda power unit specification working correctly. Aston Martin will therefore need to approach its aerodynamic testing cautiously, particularly given the limited practice time and risk of rain at Zandvoort.
“We cannot conduct major aerodynamic tests tomorrow because the focus is on getting the engine dialled in,” Mike Krack explained. “We have only one session, and we must not forget the weather risk. We need to be as supportive as possible to make sure everything works correctly and to introduce our new components.”
Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer, also views the upgrades as an opportunity to recover some of the ground Aston Martin lost during the opening half of the season. Shintaro Orihara is not expecting a miraculous transformation, but stressed that even relatively small lap-time gains could make a meaningful difference in the midfield.
“I cannot say how much of the gap we will close with this update,” Shintaro Orihara said. “As I said, in Formula 1 we have to be realistic: we cannot bring a magic upgrade. However, we believe we can make a good step forward.
“We still have a gap to close, but Aston Martin brought major upgrades in Hungary and we moved closer to the pack again. Gains of 15 milliseconds or 100 milliseconds are extremely important for improving our position, and I believe our upgrades can deliver that kind of improvement in lap time.”
Honda power unit upgrade tested in Hungary before Zandvoort
The central element of Aston Martin’s Zandvoort weekend will be Honda’s new power unit specification. The Japanese manufacturer used the running conducted after the Hungarian Grand Prix to perform its first checks with the updated engine installed in the Aston Martin chassis.
“The running programme was limited, but we can always learn something from track testing,” Shintaro Orihara explained. “It was the first time we introduced the new engine specification in the chassis, and we confirmed that the power works as expected with the new chassis. That is a positive point.”
The test also enabled Honda to gather important information about driveability. Differences in the combustion characteristics required further optimisation, with the data subsequently transferred to the dyno before the Dutch Grand Prix.
“We also found some interesting data in terms of driveability,” Shintaro Orihara continued. “We took that data back to the dyno and optimised our settings for Zandvoort. It was good progress for us. Another positive aspect is that we completed the entire learning programme without any problems.”
Combustion changes target Honda’s main weakness
The new power unit will not result in a grid penalty. Honda also completed reliability work before bringing the specification to a race weekend, although further optimisation is required because the revised combustion process has changed how the power unit behaves.
“We do not have any penalty,” Shintaro Orihara confirmed. “We found a significant difference in the combustion characteristics, and that also affected driveability. We therefore need to optimise the driveability with this engine.”
The principal objective remains improving outright performance. Honda believes the combustion engine has been the weakest part of its package and has focused much of its development effort on that area, including work involving faster combustion and revised internal components.
“I believe our weak point is engine power,” Shintaro Orihara said. “That is why we are concentrating on improving power unit performance, particularly the combustion characteristics.”
Shintaro Orihara also confirmed that Honda does not currently have any concerns about its previous vibration problems returning with the new specification. “At the moment, we have no concerns about vibrations, and we are confident in that respect.”
Zandvoort becomes a crucial test for the Aston Martin Honda power unit upgrade
The Dutch Grand Prix will provide the first opportunity to assess the new Honda engine under genuine competitive conditions. Honda has not changed the battery or MGU-K, but an improvement in the internal combustion engine’s performance could also influence energy deployment and management.
“We have not changed anything on the battery or MGU-K side,” Shintaro Orihara explained. “However, improving engine performance also helps the delivery. We will therefore check how our energy management works with the new engine, and we will also verify reliability.”
Energy calibration work will continue during the sessions, with Honda prepared to adjust its parameters according to the data gathered on track. The Zandvoort Sprint format gives Aston Martin only one free practice session in which to evaluate the package before competitive running begins.
Honda’s priority will be establishing whether its development direction is correct in terms of both performance and durability. “It is very important to see how this power unit works at Zandvoort, not only from a performance perspective but also in terms of reliability,” Shintaro Orihara said. “That will give us confidence that our direction is correct.”
Honda’s power unit development already looks towards 2027 and 2028
The programme extends beyond the current season, with Honda already working on the next generations of its Formula 1 power unit. The Zandvoort specification is therefore also an important part of the manufacturer’s development plan for 2027 and 2028.
“We have a development plan to improve our performance in the future, for 2027 and 2028,” Shintaro Orihara said. “We are not saying that we will immediately become frontrunners in 2027, but we will deliver some major steps. We are trying to make a big step for 2027, and this event forms part of our development model.”
The new specification is therefore another stage in the process leading towards the following seasons. “We cannot say what our target will be for 2027 or 2028, but our objective is to complete these steps one after another,” Shintaro Orihara added.
Shintaro Orihara also confirmed that the Zandvoort specification will be Honda’s main power unit evolution during 2026, although smaller changes could still be considered if further gains are identified.
“This is our only major upgrade for this year,” Shintaro Orihara said. “If we find gains that can improve performance through a small modification, that could be considered.”
Aston Martin awaits Fernando Alonso’s decision
Mike Krack also provided an update on Fernando Alonso’s future. The two-time world champion has yet to confirm his plans, although Aston Martin continues to make clear that it wants the relationship to continue amid speculation over a possible Fernando Alonso contract extension.
“Fernando Alonso has always said that he would make a decision around the summer, and I think we will see a decision in the coming weeks,” Mike Krack said. “We are waiting for Fernando Alonso’s decision, and then we will see.”
Aston Martin’s position remains unchanged. Retaining Fernando Alonso is the priority, although the team is prepared to give the Spaniard the time required to evaluate his future.
“We have always said that the objective is to continue with Fernando Alonso and, as I said, we are quite confident that we will reach a good outcome,” Mike Krack continued. “On the other hand, we must respect Fernando Alonso and allow him to make the decision, so we have to wait.”
Aston Martin expects progress but accepts further setbacks
Mike Krack believes Aston Martin’s season should be assessed over a broader period. After an extremely difficult beginning to the campaign, the team has made progress with reliability, driveability and performance.
“If you take a step back and look at where we started — Bahrain, Melbourne and Shanghai — everything was very, very difficult,” Mike Krack said. “We have seen a lot of progress in terms of reliability, driveability and performance. We need to proceed step by step, continue improving from now until the end of the season and maintain this positive direction.”
The competitive picture is still likely to fluctuate, however, as circuit characteristics change and rival teams continue introducing new parts. McLaren is also bringing further upgrades to Zandvoort, underlining the continuing intensity of the development contest.
“There will also be setbacks,” Mike Krack acknowledged. “There will be events where we struggle much more than at others because of the circuit characteristics and the competition. The others will bring upgrades here and there, so we could experience a dip or a peak. Overall, however, the most important thing is to see progress during the season.”
Aston Martin is not necessarily expecting to establish itself permanently at the front of the midfield. Instead, the objective is to create opportunities at circuits where the car’s characteristics allow it to be competitive.
“There will be circuits where we are in reasonably good shape, as happened in Budapest, where our race performance was quite strong,” Mike Krack concluded. “But there will also be races where we struggle more. If we consider the average, we will not be ahead of the entire midfield, but there will certainly be occasions when we are not far away.”
