Honda addresses AMR26 vibration problems: “Better reliability, but performance gains will be limited”. Honda carried out dyno testing on Aston Martin’s AMR26 in Sakura.

Honda took advantage of the calendar gap to keep an AMR26 chassis at its Sakura facility, using it for detailed vibration analysis on the dyno with the full car available for testing.

Back on track in Miami

The unexpected break in the Formula 1 calendar provided Honda with valuable time to work on solving the vibration issues that have been significantly affecting the drivability of both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

After the Japanese Grand Prix, one Aston Martin AMR26 remained in Sakura, allowing Honda engineers to conduct in-depth testing on a dynamic bench, with the entire car integrated into the instrumentation setup.

“We took the opportunity to keep one of the AMR26 cars on-site for additional static testing in Sakura for the first time, focusing our efforts on reducing vibrations and therefore improving reliability,” said Honda’s trackside chief Shintaro Orihara.

“We have made some progress, which will allow us to introduce further countermeasures in Miami and later in the season. Realistically, these improvements will not have a visible impact on the power unit’s performance on track, so we should not expect major leaps forward in that respect.”

“Miami is the first circuit on the 2026 calendar with a significant number of low-speed corners,” he added. “It is a unique track, featuring two long full-throttle sections combined with several slow-speed corners. This combination makes finding the right setup compromise particularly interesting.

“From a power unit perspective, the focus is on improving drivability in the low-speed sections, and optimising energy management in these areas is a key factor in maximising performance.

“Miami is also the first hot race weekend of the season, so it is essential to keep power unit temperatures under control under these new regulations.”