Honda has acknowledged that its F1 power unit recovery with Aston Martin will extend beyond the 2026 season, despite an updated internal combustion engine being prepared for the Dutch Grand Prix. Honda Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer Shintaro Orihara believes the Japanese manufacturer can move closer to Formula 1’s leading power units in 2027, but becoming a genuine front-running contender could take until later that year or 2028.
The conclusion is now clear: Honda’s internal combustion engine will not be competitive enough to fight at the front during 2026. Aston Martin introduced a heavily revised B-spec car in Hungary, while Honda will follow with its own upgraded F1 engine at Zandvoort.
However, the deficit to the strongest manufacturers is so large that even such a substantial update will not be enough to move Honda’s engine into the leading group. Unlike Audi, Aston Martin and Honda had set ambitious targets even before the championship began. The scale of the task, reinforced by Shintaro Orihara’s comments, suggests that the project’s original concept for the new regulations was fundamentally flawed.
The 2026 Dutch Grand Prix Sprint weekend will provide the next indication of whether the changes can at least begin reducing that deficit.
Honda F1 power unit recovery stretches into 2027 and 2028
Shintaro Orihara’s assessment was clear: Honda does not expect to deliver a power unit capable of fighting at the front before at least the middle of the 2027 season. The amount of work required to reach that objective is simply too extensive to be completed sooner.
“We are working very closely with Aston Martin to integrate our power unit as effectively as possible into their new chassis,” Shintaro Orihara explained.
“So, yes, we are now focusing on developing a good engine for 2027, and we are also working closely with Aston Martin behind the scenes. After the summer break, we want to get back on track, while everyone at the factory is working hard to take another step forward for 2027. But, I repeat, we have to be realistic.”
The message is that strong performances should not be expected either during the remainder of 2026 or at the beginning of next season. Progress will also depend on the increasingly close collaboration between the two organisations, with Aston Martin and Honda strengthening their relationship after a difficult start to their partnership.
Shintaro Orihara added: “I do not think we will have the best power unit at the beginning of 2027, but we will be closer to the leading rivals. We will then continue to push as hard as possible to become one of the leading contenders, hopefully in 2027 or 2028.”
Reliability remains Honda’s biggest F1 obstacle
Aston Martin endured an extremely difficult start to 2026, with many of its problems related to reliability as well as a lack of outright performance. Vibrations were the principal cause of concern, although the list of issues affecting the Honda power unit has been extensive.
Shintaro Orihara is fully aware of those difficulties. In his view, matching the performance of the leading manufacturers is not necessarily the biggest challenge facing Honda. Instead, the reliability of the complete package could prove to be the most demanding obstacle.
“The most critical issue will probably be reliability,” Shintaro Orihara said. “Even if the fuel-flow rate were not changed, we would still need to make reliability developments of our own to improve performance. But that was already expected.
“Now, however, we are also increasing the fuel-flow rate, so the reliability demands will be quite high. For us, it is about improving combustion and, in addition, increasing the fuel-flow rate. It will not be easy; this is a critical area, but the steps taken by the FIA are significant and we will try.”
Fernando Alonso faces a longer wait for Aston Martin progress
It may therefore be difficult to see Aston Martin and Honda fighting near the front in the immediate future. That extended recovery timeline is one reason why Fernando Alonso is still evaluating his medium-term commitment to the project.
Even so, Aston Martin remains confident that it has the resources required to rejoin Formula 1’s leading teams. The objectives established by the Silverstone operation, combined with its financial strength and state-of-the-art infrastructure, have created the foundations for a recovery—although returning to the front will necessarily be a gradual process.
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