Aston Martin will receive a major Honda power unit upgrade when Formula 1 returns at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix, with the Japanese manufacturer revealing several of the technical changes behind its new spec-2 engine. Honda has modified the pre-chamber, piston design and lubrication systems as it attempts to address one of Aston Martin’s biggest weaknesses during a difficult first half of the season.
The timing could be crucial for the Silverstone team. After Aston Martin’s substantial Hungarian upgrade delivered a clear step forward with the AMR26, Honda’s improved engine offers another opportunity for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll to move closer to the front of the midfield when racing resumes at Zandvoort.
Aston Martin and Honda endured a difficult start to 2026
Aston Martin emerged as one of Formula 1’s biggest disappointments at the beginning of 2026, with the AMR26 struggling badly for competitiveness. In addition to chassis and aerodynamic problems, Honda’s new power unit proved to be another major weakness, suffering in both performance and reliability.
After the Japanese manufacturer enjoyed considerable championship success under the previous engine regulations, seeing Honda struggle against rival power unit manufacturers – including newcomers to the new technical era – came as an unwelcome surprise.
Honda responded by aggressively developing an updated power unit, with the new specification scheduled to make its competitive debut at Zandvoort after the summer break. The upgrade arrives just as Fernando Alonso believes further gains are possible with the improved Aston Martin.
Honda targets performance gain with Aston Martin spec-2 engine
Speculation over the potential lap-time improvement from Honda’s new engine has grown in recent weeks. Aston Martin’s major Hungarian package already provided a substantial improvement to the AMR26, allowing the team to establish itself more firmly within the midfield.
At Budapest, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished ahead of both Haas cars as well as the Williams and Cadillac entries, while also splitting the two Alpines. With a more competitive chassis platform now in place, Aston Martin can aim higher in the second half of the season if Honda succeeds in reducing at least part of its deficit to the other power unit manufacturers.
Widely circulated estimates have put Honda’s current disadvantage at around 90 horsepower, which would correspond to at least one second per lap depending on circuit characteristics. Predictions for the performance increase from the new specification have ranged between approximately 20 and 50 horsepower.
Honda reveals combustion, piston and lubrication changes
Honda Trackside Chief Engineer Shintaro Orihara has now outlined what the manufacturer expects from its spec-2 power unit and revealed some of the areas that have been modified.
“We focused on improving the performance of the engine, let’s say to make the combustion faster. It’s a little bit secret, but I can reveal something. We changed the pre-chamber to make the combustion faster. We also changed the piston shape, again to achieve good combustion.”
Reducing internal losses has also formed part of Honda’s work as it attempts to extract more performance from the new-generation power unit.
Orihara continued: “We also changed some lubrication systems to reduce friction. We have quite a long list of things to improve performance. I cannot reveal the detailed number of horsepower gained, but we achieved our internal target. And I’m confident about what the guys at the Honda factory in Sakura have achieved for the spec-2 engine, and we are excited to bring the new specification to the Netherlands. We will see where we are.”
The upgraded power unit is therefore expected to become one of the major technical talking points when Formula 1 returns for the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
Aston Martin’s biggest opportunities may still come in 2027
In many respects, Aston Martin’s season could begin again after the summer break. Following several months near the back of the grid, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll can finally approach the upcoming races with greater confidence.
The Honda engine is not the only development planned. Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile spent the opening six months of 2026 working on the major Hungarian package, designed to introduce several fundamental changes in one significant step rather than through a succession of smaller updates.
With that new platform now established, further developments are already scheduled for immediately after the summer break and will arrive alongside Honda’s upgraded power unit. Combined with weight-saving measures, those changes give Aston Martin the opportunity to make a more substantial step forward during the second half of the campaign.
The team’s progress will also determine how far Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll can climb in the 2026 Formula 1 driver standings after a difficult opening half of the season.
2026 progress could provide the foundation for Aston Martin’s 2027 car
Fighting for race victories or podiums during 2026 still appears unlikely, but Aston Martin has another important objective. If the AMR26 continues improving through the second half of the year, the Silverstone team could reach 2027 pre-season testing with a sufficiently competitive technical foundation on which to build.
That makes the Dutch Grand Prix particularly important. Aston Martin will arrive at Zandvoort with a stronger aerodynamic package than it possessed earlier in the season and, for the first time, Honda’s substantially revised spec-2 power unit. The immediate question is how much of the engine deficit can actually be recovered once the new specification is tested under race conditions.
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