Honda is preparing a significant F1 power unit upgrade for Aston Martin at the Dutch Grand Prix, with its new Spec-2 engine expected to make its debut at Zandvoort following Formula 1’s summer break. Honda has worked on faster combustion, revised piston geometry and lubrication changes as it attempts to address one of the biggest weaknesses of Aston Martin’s difficult 2026 campaign.
The new power unit will arrive immediately after Aston Martin introduced an updated version of its Adrian Newey-designed car in Hungary. One of the most important changes at the Hungaroring was a substantial reduction in excess weight, with the stopwatch quickly indicating the benefits of the lighter package.
Aston Martin’s Honda F1 power unit upgrade arrives at Zandvoort
Fernando Alonso managed to progress into Q2 in Hungary after surviving the Q1 elimination cut. The next step is now expected in the Netherlands, where the upgraded Honda power unit should complement Aston Martin’s latest chassis improvements as Lawrence Stroll’s team attempts to make the performance step it has been targeting following an extremely difficult start to the season.
The Honda power unit has been one of Aston Martin’s major areas of concern in the opening part of Formula 1’s new regulatory era. Its early difficulties were already evident during the wider debate over F1’s 2026 battery and energy-management challenges, an area that has become particularly important under the championship’s new power unit regulations.
Honda targets faster combustion with its Spec-2 engine
Shintaro Orihara has now explained the work carried out at Honda’s Sakura facility to improve the Japanese manufacturer’s power unit. With Honda currently at the bottom of the engine performance order, it has access to a particularly substantial amount of development through the ADUO system.
“We focused on improving the engine’s performance by making combustion faster,” Shintaro Orihara explained. “We modified the pre-chamber to make combustion faster. We also modified the shape of the piston to achieve good combustion. In addition, we modified some lubrication systems to reduce friction.”
The changes therefore target several related areas inside the internal combustion engine. Alterations to the pre-chamber and piston geometry are intended to improve the combustion process, while Honda has also worked on its lubrication systems in an effort to reduce mechanical friction.
The development is especially significant given the problems Aston Martin and Honda experienced earlier in the year. During pre-season running, Fernando Alonso’s AMR26 was already operating with a strong emphasis on Honda power unit reliability, while the team subsequently encountered further difficulties during testing. The Silverstone squad is now hoping that improvements on both the chassis and engine sides can begin to unlock more of the potential of Adrian Newey’s 2026 car.
Honda reaches its internal target but keeps power gain secret
Shintaro Orihara was considerably more guarded when asked how much additional power the upgraded Honda unit should deliver. Although he did not disclose a figure, he confirmed that Honda had achieved the performance objective established internally for the new specification.
“I can’t reveal the exact numbers, but we have achieved our internal target and I’m confident in the results achieved by the guys at the HRC Sakura factory for the Spec-2 engine,” Shintaro Orihara said. “We’re excited to bring the new Spec engine to the Netherlands.”
That means Zandvoort is set to provide the first meaningful indication of whether Honda’s latest development work can translate into improved performance on track. For Aston Martin, the timing is important: after reducing the AMR26’s excess weight in Hungary, the arrival of the Spec-2 power unit gives the team another opportunity to address the weaknesses that have limited its progress during the first half of the season.
The Dutch Grand Prix will therefore represent an important test not only for Aston Martin’s latest package but also for Honda’s ability to close the gap under the 2026 engine regulations. With Formula 1’s new power units placing far greater emphasis on electrical energy alongside combustion efficiency, development remains a crucial part of the competitive picture across the grid.
The wider 2026 competitive landscape has already shown how important power unit performance and energy deployment can be. Mercedes, for example, has been working to understand the causes of George Russell’s deployment problems, illustrating how engine performance in the new Formula 1 era depends on more than outright combustion power alone.
For Honda, however, the immediate focus is clear. Its revised pre-chamber, modified piston design and lubrication changes will be put to the test at Zandvoort as Aston Martin looks for another step forward after the improvements introduced in Hungary.
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