Honda has admitted that losing almost two years of development time contributed significantly to the problems facing its Formula 1 partnership with Aston Martin in 2026. Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe has explained how a delayed return to full-scale development, the decision to build an entirely new engine and difficulties with power delivery have left the Japanese manufacturer’s power unit behind its competitors.
Despite the arrival of a new Aston Martin designed under the leadership of Adrian Newey, a new factory and a works Honda power unit, the partnership has struggled to meet expectations. Watanabe acknowledged the scale of the challenge but insisted that both organisations remain committed to improving their competitiveness and strengthening their collaboration ahead of 2027.
Honda admits Aston Martin’s 2026 F1 season has been difficult
Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation, has offered a detailed explanation of the difficulties experienced by the Aston Martin-Honda partnership during the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The project began with considerable expectations, supported by Aston Martin’s investment in new facilities, the development of a new car under Adrian Newey and Honda’s return as a works power-unit supplier.
However, the results have fallen considerably short of those ambitions.
Speaking to Motorsport, Watanabe acknowledged that the combination of new regulations, a new working relationship and substantial technical changes had created a particularly demanding situation.
“Looking back at this season, I can only describe it as difficult,” Watanabe admitted.
Almost every major element of the project is new, including the regulations, the team structure, the fuel, the oil and the drivers.
Honda approached the new partnership with significant ambitions, but the reality has proved more challenging than anticipated.
Nevertheless, Watanabe stressed that the determination to win must remain unchanged.
“We must continue improving from race to race and building something that moves us forward.”
Honda confirms its F1 power unit is behind rival manufacturers
One of the most important problems facing Aston Martin has been the performance of Honda’s power unit.
When asked directly how the Japanese manufacturer’s engine compares with those of its rivals, Watanabe referred to the performance data collected by the FIA to determine eligibility for additional development opportunities.
“According to the performance levels measured by the FIA, our power unit is clearly inferior to those of the other manufacturers,” he explained.
The primary weakness is a lack of power, a problem that has also been highlighted by Aston Martin’s drivers.
Honda managed to recover its targeted power output with its second engine specification, but that improvement introduced another difficulty.
Changes to the combustion characteristics caused drivability to deteriorate, returning it to a condition similar to the one experienced with the original specification.
Although improvements are already being made to both the hardware and electronic control systems, the overall power output remains insufficient and requires further development.
Honda reveals how it lost almost two years of F1 development
According to Watanabe, the fundamental cause of Honda’s current difficulties was the delay in beginning its development programme.
Although the manufacturer never completely stopped carrying out basic Formula 1 research, its announcement of a return in 2023 required the organisation to rebuild its development structure rapidly.
That process proved considerably more demanding than expected.
“The decision to return came a year later than the others in Formula 1, and putting the development structure in place took time. In practice, we lost almost two years,” Watanabe explained.
Honda initially decided to prioritise the development of the battery and electric motor systems.
Those areas met their technical objectives, but the decision delayed work on the internal-combustion engine.
By the time Honda attempted to recover the lost ground, Formula 1’s budget and working-hour restrictions made it impossible to close the development gap completely.
Engineering resources created another major obstacle
Honda’s organisational situation made the recovery process even more complicated.
Many engineers who had previously worked on the manufacturer’s Formula 1 programme had been reassigned to other projects involving carbon neutrality and advanced technologies.
Bringing those specialists back into the F1 organisation was not straightforward.
Several held project-leadership positions in their new departments, meaning that each transfer required time for responsibilities to be handed over.
Consequently, Honda faced the challenge of rebuilding its Formula 1 development team while simultaneously working on an entirely new generation of power units.
The result was a compressed development programme in which the manufacturer had to make important technical decisions without the preparation time enjoyed by some of its competitors.
Why Honda chose to design a completely new F1 engine
Another significant decision involved the architecture of the internal-combustion engine.
Rather than using the engine employed until 2025 as the foundation for its new power unit, Honda decided to create an entirely new design in pursuit of its performance targets.
Watanabe explained that the manufacturer had carefully considered both approaches before choosing to start from scratch.
“We assessed whether it would be better to start from the previous engine or something entirely new, and we chose the second option. That is where we encountered several difficulties.”
Before the season began, Watanabe had already stated that Honda wanted to avoid starting too far behind its rivals.
Even at that stage, the company was aware that a power deficit was possible.
What Honda had not anticipated, however, was the scale of the drivability problems that would accompany the new engine.
Honda introduces engine and turbocharger improvements
Honda has been attempting to address those weaknesses through the additional development opportunities available under the regulations.
The first opportunity was used primarily to increase engine power.
The second brought an updated turbocharger designed to improve drivability, with the revised component already introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The changes have begun to deliver improvements, although the power unit remains short of the overall performance Honda wants to achieve.
Watanabe believes there is still substantial scope for further development.
The challenge is now to improve power output without sacrificing the drivability characteristics that allow the drivers to extract consistent performance from the car.
Honda denies tension with Aston Martin despite disappointing results
Although the technical difficulties have been considerable, Watanabe rejected suggestions of tension between Honda and Aston Martin.
He insisted that both organisations remain aligned in their objectives and are working to strengthen their relationship.
“The objective has been the same from the beginning. We need to strengthen the partnership at every level, and there is complete mutual understanding on that. In fact, the relationship is becoming stronger.”
Discussions about the problems affecting the car and the measures required to resolve them remain completely open.
Neither the Honda power unit nor the Aston Martin chassis is considered perfect, and both require further improvement.
For Watanabe, the priority is to ensure that the two organisations increasingly operate as a single team while developing a better understanding of each other’s working methods.
“Over time, as we mature as one team, the speed and efficiency of development will increase and the overall level of the car will improve.”
Aston Martin and Honda strengthen technical cooperation at Sakura
Watanabe also pointed to Honda’s previous relationships with Red Bull and McLaren as examples of partnerships that encountered difficulties before improving through sustained cooperation.
He believes continuity will be equally important in the relationship with Aston Martin.
Following the Japanese Grand Prix, Aston Martin’s chassis was taken to Honda’s Sakura facility for joint technical testing.
Engineers from the British team have continued working at the Japanese facility, allowing the two organisations to examine the car and power unit together rather than treating them as separate development programmes.
“This demonstrates that we are gaining the perspective of developing the car as a single integrated whole,” Watanabe explained.
The approach reflects the growing importance of integrating the chassis and power unit to maximise overall performance.
While Honda continues to work on engine power and drivability, Aston Martin must also improve its chassis. Closer cooperation should help both organisations understand how changes in one area affect the performance of the complete car.
Aston Martin-Honda targets a more competitive 2027 season
Watanabe acknowledged that achieving full integration between Aston Martin and Honda will still require time.
The partnership must overcome the consequences of its delayed development programme, continue improving the internal-combustion engine and refine the interaction between the chassis and power unit.
However, the manufacturer believes its recent technical progress and increasingly close cooperation with Aston Martin offer a foundation for further gains.
The immediate objective is to be ready to compete more effectively from next season.
Honda’s assessment makes clear that the difficult 2026 campaign has resulted from several interconnected problems rather than one isolated failure. Recovering the development time lost at the beginning of the project remains impossible, but the manufacturer is determined to turn the lessons of its first season with Aston Martin into a more competitive package for 2027.
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