There was huge anticipation surrounding the Aston Martin-Honda project, understandable given the British team’s high-profile recruitment campaign in recent years and the new works partnership with the Japanese manufacturer. The collaboration was meant to mark a decisive step away from customer team status and establish Aston Martin as a true factory contender in Formula 1.
However, the first F1 2026 test sessions between Barcelona and Sakhir revealed that the partnership has not started on the right foot. Issues emerged both in terms of performance and reliability. On the final day in Bahrain, due to a shortage of spare parts, the AMR26 was not only unable to run consistently, but completed fewer than ten laps in total.
It is a complex situation on several fronts. On one side, reliability problems must be addressed urgently. On the other, the lack of consistent mileage makes it extremely difficult to gather useful data, not only for the development of the power unit but also for the entire car. When mileage is so limited, every phase of the work becomes more complicated, delaying the whole data comparison process that is essential to solving issues – as was supposed to happen on the final day in Sakhir.
Part of the budget will be reallocated to delayed areas
“We are aware that the test results indicate a very difficult and demanding situation. Our engineers in Sakura and the personnel at the track are working intensively to make improvements, and at the moment we are accelerating our progress ahead of the opening race,” explained Ikuo Takeishi, head of HRC’s four-wheel motorsport division, during a press conference.
Currently, all efforts at the Sakura factory are focused on understanding and resolving the problems that emerged in Bahrain. Tetsushi Kakuda, the HRC project leader dedicated to Formula 1, did not attend the press conference in order to closely follow developments at the factory. The situation has forced a revision of the original plans, with part of the available budget being redirected to the areas where development is lagging most.
Unexpected vibration issues with the power unit
But what exactly are the issues Honda is facing at this stage? One of the most critical concerns excessive vibrations from the power unit. These were judged severe enough that, on the penultimate day of testing in Bahrain, when the car stopped on track, they caused the battery to fail completely. The incident forced the technicians into a lengthy recovery operation to secure the car before returning it to the garage.
Although some vibration-related issues had already appeared during the previous partnership with Red Bull – requiring the addition of reinforcing rods in certain areas – they had never reached the depth and severity seen in this year’s tests. The root cause appears to lie in the modifications introduced to adapt the power unit to the new 2026 regulations, changes that have altered the overall balance of the system and amplified the phenomenon.
“It was not a problem at Red Bull, but I believe one of the reasons is the significant regulatory changes introduced this year. Another possible cause could be the substantial modifications made to the power unit itself,” added Takeishi, who also stressed that, while the engine is the main source of vibrations, other factors must be considered.
“Naturally, the power unit is the primary source of vibrations. However, as is typical in car development, once it is integrated into the chassis, inputs from the type of asphalt also come into play, and vibrations emerge as a result of multiple combined factors. It is quite difficult to pinpoint precisely why this happened this time.”
Vibrations knocked out the battery
This is clearly only part of the problems that surfaced during testing, but it is probably the one requiring the most immediate attention. The risk is ending up with a damaged battery after only a few hundred kilometers, especially considering the limited number of power unit components allowed per season before grid penalties are triggered.
“The abnormal vibrations observed during testing caused damage to the battery system, which was the main reason for the stoppage. On the power unit side we are naturally investigating the causes and working on countermeasures, while parallel interventions are also being implemented on the chassis side.”
Essentially, the underlying issue is that the area housing the battery – which from this year must be integrated into the chassis for safety reasons, in order to isolate all high-voltage elements – is subject to extremely intense vibrations. For Honda, this is not simply a matter related to the engine or gearbox alone, but a broader structural challenge.
Chassis testing underway at Sakura
For this reason, at the Sakura factory engineers are carrying out tests using a complete monocoque, conducting targeted analyses and interventions to understand and mitigate the phenomenon. Five Aston Martin technicians are also assisting the work, following development on thermal management and other elements while evaluating various solutions.
“You can think of the situation as if the battery pack were being shaken inside the car. In essence, the area where the battery pack is mounted is vibrating. If all of this had been within our expectations, I believe we could have made further adjustments. For example, if the cause could be clearly traced to a single element such as the gearbox or the engine, it would be much easier to intervene,” Takeishi added.
“However, I believe several components are interacting to generate the vibration. In this scenario, it is far from certain that acting on a single element will be enough to solve the problem, and we cannot rule out that the issue may persist. That said, my intention is absolutely to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.”
The immediate objective is to identify corrective measures, even partial ones, ahead of the start of the Formula 1 season. However, with time running short and the engines already shipped for the Australian trip, it is difficult to imagine major interventions being introduced immediately. The outlook is therefore more medium-term: to bring the package into a better condition in time for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
Once the vibration issues are resolved – with efforts currently focused on strengthening the structure – Honda believes there is performance potential to unlock. “I believe so. It would have been useful to evaluate race pace and performance during the final test, but at the moment I do not think we are in a position to actively talk about performance.”
The technical setbacks faced by Honda in this early phase of the 2026 era therefore underscore the immense difficulty of integrating a new Power Unit into a modern F1 chassis. As engineers at Sakura and Silverstone work around the clock to dampen these unexpected vibrations, the immediate focus remains on survival for the Australian Grand Prix. Success for the Aston Martin-Honda partnership will now depend on how quickly they can stabilize the battery housing and reclaim the lost development time, ensuring that the AMR26 can finally demonstrate the raw performance that has so far been masked by reliability woes.
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