Honda issue statement claiming Aston Martin F1 results have 'failed expectations'

Photo: © IMAGO

Aston Martin

Honda issue statement claiming Aston Martin results have 'failed expectations'

Aston Martin have struggled to achieve results in 2026

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 19 June 2026 13:45 Updated: 22:23

Make us your Google favorite

Honda have issued a statement on their social media page about Aston Martin's start to the 2026 F1 season, and how they are working to turn things around.

Honda entered into a engine partnership with Aston Martin at the start of the year, but have been struggling with reliability and power output issues with their power unit.

It's meant that Aston Martin have only managed to score one point from the opening seven race weekends, a dismal return for a team who had dreams of challenging for race victories amid the regulations overhaul.

Article continues under video

The team's struggles were evident at the recent Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, where Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso qualified down in 21st and 22nd before both having to retire from the grand prix.

Now, Honda have taken to LinkedIn to reveal that Honda Racing president Koji Watanabe visited their UK office, while also admitting that the start to the year has been below expectations.

"The results on track with Aston Martin F1 Team haven't matched our ambition this season, but the focus at Honda Racing Corporation remains absolute," Honda said in a statement.

"We had Koji Watanabe, the president of HRC and concurrently of HRC UK, visiting the UK office this week to see the relentless work going into our trackside operations and to talk to the members in person. In Formula 1 progress isn't found in a single breakthrough, it’s found in the thousands of hours our engineers and technicians put in.

"We are one global unit, from Sakura, Japan to Milton Keynes. We stay focused, we stay united, and we keep pushing."

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen flies to Red Bull HQ as radical change proposed

Will Adrian Newey turn things around for Aston Martin?

Honda have been handed somewhat of a lifeline through the FIA's additional development and upgrade opportunities (ADUO) scheme, being handed two extra homologations.

But it's becoming clear that their struggles may not solely be down to the power unit.

Design legend Adrian Newey joined the team in March 2025 and now has the job of trying to turn their fortunes around after a disastrous start, focusing on the initial flaws of his AMR26 design.

One F1 expert recently revealed that, even if Aston Martin had a Mercedes power unit, they would only be fighting around the likes of Haas because of the limits in their chassis design.

Aston Martin have signed the likes of Newey and Enrico Cardile in recent years, and will now hope that they can turn things around by bringing upgrades to the AMR26.

F1 Aston Martin Honda