Honda in line for major F1 boost after Aston Martin engine trouble

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Aston Martin

Honda in line for major F1 boost after Aston Martin engine trouble

Are the difficult days coming to an end for Aston Martin?

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 15 May 2026 09:12

Aston Martin may receive a brief reprieve from their F1 woes as Honda are expected to benefit from a boost that could reach up to $19million.

The FIA have published a guide as to how Additional Upgrade and Development Opportunities (ADUO) will work at the end of the first review period, set to take place after the Canadian Grand Prix.

ADUO will act as a lifeline to struggling manufacturers and allow them to upgrade their power unit if it is at least two per cent behind the best performing one.

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In the FIA's most recent announcement, they confirmed that allowances will increase in relation to the best performing power unit. So, for example, a manufacturer two-four per cent behind will get allowances up to $3million, four-six per cent is up to $4.65 million, six-eight per cent up to $6.35 million and eight-10 per cent up to $8 million.

If Honda find themselves 10 per cent behind the best performing power unit, they could receive an allowance of up to $11million and a chance of up to $8million of cost cap from future periods being anticipated to support development.

The FIA's single seater director Nikolas Tombazis explained ADUO as: "Not a magic bullet or like the FIA is handing out brownie ⁠points to somebody who's behind.

"It simply provides them with leeway to develop their power unit within the framework laid out by the technical regulations."

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Will Honda receive ADUO?

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has previously warned against ADUO interfering in the competitive order, but did identify that Honda should benefit from the new rule.

He told reporters in April that: "As it seems for me, there's one engine manufacturer that has a problem and we need to help. And then all the others are pretty much in the same ballpark."

"So, I would be very surprised, actually, and disappointed if ADUO decisions that were done would come up with any interferences into the competitive pecking order as it stands at the moment."

The Miami Grand Prix marked a minor improvement for the Aston Martin squad, where both cars made it over the line for the first time in 2026, albeit in P15 and P17.

F1 FIA Aston Martin Adrian Newey Honda Nikolas Tombazis