F1 Chinese Grand Prix: Honda issue official statement as Aston Martin nightmare continues

Photo: © IMAGO

Aston Martin F1

Honda issue official statement as Aston Martin F1 nightmare continues

There is huge embarrassment for the Japanese giant

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Friday 13 March 2026 21:30

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Honda have issued an official statement at the Chinese Grand Prix as Aston Martin’s nightmare start to the 2026 F1 season continues.

The expensively-assembled team was expected to make a big leap forward this year after the signing of the sport’s foremost design genius Adrian Newey.

But that hope has been replaced by major embarrassment, with the car unable to complete a race due to huge power unit issues.

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Newey’s bombshell announcement in Australia that drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll feared permanent nerve damage due to to vibrations from the power unit sent shockwaves through a stunned paddock.

The nightmare continues with power unit supplier Honda working around the clock in a bid to find solutions. Sadly though, it appears that will take a significant amount of time.

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Friday brought more misery for Aston Martin

Friday’s action at the Chinese Grand Prix brought little cheer for the team in green, with Alonso and Stroll finishing 18th and 20th respectively in Free Practice 1. Both were at least 3 seconds off the pace set by Mercedes.

Sprint Qualifying brought more of the same, with Alonso and Stroll qualifying P19 and P20 for Saturday’s 19-lap race at the Shanghai International Circuit.

The pressure on Honda to find solutions is immense, and the engine supplier issued a statement at the track on Friday to update on the latest situation.

Honda provide Aston Martin update

“Our target today was to build up more mileage in order to have additional learnings for the energy management strategy and the driveability at the Shanghai International Circuit,” it read.

“Another target was to look at performance for tomorrow’s Sprint race, so having a problem-free FP1 and Sprint qualifying was important for us to prepare the data settings for the rest of the weekend."

It has been a horrific month for the storied Japanese giant, with the brand set for its first annual loss in 70 years of business as a listed company, with a $15.7billion restructuring in their EV department partly to blame

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F1 Aston Martin Chinese Grand Prix Honda