Aston Martin

Aston Martin F1 lifeline emerges but crisis team must wait SIX races

Sheona Mountford Friday 27 February 2026 09:15

One comfort will restore a modicum of hope to Aston Martin and Honda after their disastrous outing during F1 testing.

Aston Martin were forced to leave the final week of Bahrain testing early after a Honda battery issue and shortage of parts resulted in a limited run plan of six laps. Even then, the team were four seconds off their rivals pace, competing with new team Cadillac as not to be named the slowest team.

Now Honda and Aston Martin are under pressure, particularly the power unit manufacturer as the FIA's homologation deadline rapidly approaches. On March 1, all five manufacturers will have to submit their PU dossier for the FIA to sign off on. After that upgrades and changes to the power unit will be incredibly difficult and will have to seek approval.

Under pressure to remedy their issues as this deadline looms nearer, Honda's Sakura operations could be in need of a vital lifeline. The only problem? It's not available until the sixth race of the F1 season.

F1 2026 Regulations: What is Recharge mode

What is ADUO?

The ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) rule was introduced by the FIA for the 2026 F1 season and the new engines.

It allows manufacturers who have fallen behind to receive additional funding and 30 per cent extra test bench hours over a 12-month period.

However, power unit performance will only be evaluated after the sixth (Miami), 12th (Belgium) and 18th (Singapore) race of the season. Manufacturers who are between two per cent and four per cent down on the best engine’s power, will be granted an additional upgrade. If they are down more than 4 per cent then they receive two upgrades.

Soy Motor report that Honda are already working on the assumption they will have to use ADUO and are aiming for a 'B' specification of their engine. They also claim any significant improvement may not occur until the summer break, or as late as next year.