Senior figures involved in Honda’s Formula 1 project have revealed some of the first areas the Japanese manufacturer plans to work on once the FIA officially confirms the level of ADUO concessions granted to the power unit supplier. The planned interventions mainly concern the internal combustion engine and are aimed at reducing the current performance gap.
At the moment, every manufacturer not powered by Mercedes is waiting for one key moment: the activation of the ADUO system. This mechanism will allow Formula 1 power unit manufacturers to introduce upgrades specifically designed to reduce the deficit to the category’s benchmark engine.
The manufacturer and team waiting most anxiously for this opportunity are undoubtedly Honda and Aston Martin Racing, whose new partnership officially began this season.
After years of success alongside Red Bull, Honda decided to commit to Aston Martin’s ambitious long-term project backed by Lawrence Stroll’s massive investments. However, the partnership has started in the worst possible way.
Aston Martin Racing — together with newcomer Cadillac — currently sits unexpectedly at the back of the Formula 1 field. After the opening five rounds of the 2026 season, the standings paint a brutal picture for the green cars, which are struggling enormously from a technical standpoint.
To begin reversing the situation, the ADUO system is viewed internally as a fundamental lifeline, almost a rescue mechanism that could finally allow Honda to start making meaningful progress on the engine side — an area more crucial than ever under the current Formula 1 regulations.
Honda already working on combustion and friction improvements
Honda has already been working for some time on solutions capable of improving both reliability and outright performance. Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer for the Formula 1 project, recently outlined some of the key development directions the Japanese manufacturer plans to pursue once the ADUO system becomes available.
“We know where we need to improve. For example, from the combustion side. We need to improve combustion, and we already know how to improve it,” Shintaro Orihara explained. “So we already have several ideas to increase the performance of the internal combustion engine, and we’ve already seen positive signs from the dyno data.”
“In addition, if we take friction as another example, we also need to reduce friction in order to improve performance. So we already have this kind of development list prepared at the factory, and we continue working on those areas. Once we achieve something concrete, we will accelerate our development phase.”
Combustion efficiency and friction reduction are only two parts of a much broader development programme. For that reason, it will likely take time before these upgrades are approved and introduced on the Aston Martin AMR26.
There is a strong possibility that the updates may only arrive with the third power unit of the season — or potentially even the fourth unit added into the engine rotation.
“Engine development is a long-term job,” Orihara added. “But we are not talking about the end of this season. At some point, probably around the summer break, we expect to see some improvements. That is our target.”
The new ADUO concessions could heavily benefit Honda
Earlier this month, the FIA World Motor Sport Council published a draft update modifying the section of the regulations dedicated to the ADUO system. The governing body adjusted both the evaluation windows and some of the concessions available to struggling power unit manufacturers.
As already known, the first of the three scheduled evaluation windows was brought forward by one race and therefore concluded after the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The first assessment window now covers Grands Prix one through five, from Australia to Canada, following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix earlier this season due to the conflict in the Middle East.
| ADUO evaluation windows | Original | Updated |
|---|---|---|
| First window | From GP 1 to 6 | From GP 1 to 5 (Canada) |
| Second window | From GP 7 to 12 | From GP 6 to 11 (Hungary) |
| Third window | From GP 13 to 18 | From GP 12 to 18 (Mexico) |
The FIA now has the data required to estimate the performance level of every power unit by combining information gathered both on track and at the factories. Initial conclusions are expected in the coming days, potentially even before the Monaco Grand Prix.
Alongside the changes to the evaluation windows, the FIA has also modified the concessions available to the manufacturers facing the biggest performance deficits — a development that could significantly benefit Honda and Aston Martin.
The FIA has introduced a specific category for manufacturers suffering a power deficit greater than 10%, equivalent to roughly 60 horsepower behind the benchmark engine. At present, Honda appears to be the only manufacturer expected to fall into this category, which could grant the Japanese company access to additional concessions.
| Deficit from best engine | Extra dyno hours (original) | Extra dyno hours (updated) |
|---|---|---|
| <2% | 0 | 0 |
| <2% – <4% | 70 | 70 |
| <4% – <6% | 110 | 110 |
| <6% – <8% | 150 | 150 |
| <8% – <10% | 190 | 190 |
| >10% | – | 230 |
Manufacturers running more than 10% behind the reference engine will now benefit from 230 operational dyno hours, representing an increase of 40 hours compared to the previous highest concession tier. This could help Honda recover at least part of the enormous deficit it has displayed at the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Supporting these additional testing hours is also an increase in the budget flexibility available to struggling manufacturers. Honda will benefit from a larger cost reduction within the budget cap calculations, freeing up extra resources for engine development.
The total allowance now rises to 11 million dollars for manufacturers showing a deficit greater than 10%, representing an increase of 3 million compared to the previous limit.
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