Aston Martin F1 team given boost as Honda deliver engine upgrade announcement

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Aston Martin

Aston Martin boost as Honda deliver engine upgrade announcement

Aston Martin are desperately hoping for something to try and turn their season around

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 2 July 2026 19:44

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Honda Racing chief Shintaro Orihara has shared some positive news for fans of the Aston Martin F1 team.

Aston Martin entered into a power unit partnership with Honda at the start of the 2026 season, but things have not gone well, with the Honda power units clearly suffering reliability and power output issues.

It has meant that Aston Martin's two drivers - Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso - have struggled to finish sessions, and have also been fighting right at the back of the pack.

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The team have scored just one point from eight race weekends since the power unit partnership began.

But there does now seem to be some positive news coming out of Honda. The Japanese car brand were handed a reprieve by the FIA's additional development and upgrade opportunities (ADUO) scheme, designed to help struggling power unit manufacturers amid the new regulations.

Honda were given two homologations by the scheme after it was deemed that they were more than two per cent behind the best power unit on the grid (Red Bull-Ford).

Now, Orihara has revealed when Honda will be bringing upgrades to their power unit having originally stated that it would be at some point in the summer.

Aston Martin have been boosted by the statement, as they also await major upgrades to their chassis, worked on by design legend Adrian Newey.

Aston Martin's summer of hope

"Our goal is for it to arrive at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort," Orihara stated at a press conference before the British Grand Prix.

"I was expecting that question. Yes, I kept saying 'in the summer,' an answer that might sound boring. So I would say that our target is the Netherlands. That's why we're working hard to complete our to-do list and get the new power unit to the Netherlands.

"We're focusing exclusively on the internals. Let's say our main goal is to improve engine performance. So we're working on the shape of the combustion chamber, we've also modified the pre-chamber. In addition, we'll change the shape of the combustion chamber to improve combustion efficiency. We're also working to reduce friction by modifying the lubrication system. That's what we're working on, and, of course, to improve reliability as well. Because if we increase performance, we have to increase reliability. So we still have quite a long list to complete. But we're working hard to bring it to the Netherlands.

"How many tokens will we use? I can't say," he continued. "We have a long list. So we'll be bringing a lot of improvements to the Netherlands. I can't say exactly how many, but we'll be modifying some pretty significant components."

Meanwhile, the Silverstone-based outfit's chief trackside officer, Mike Krack, spoke in more depth about the 'new car' that will be arriving for the team from the Hungarian GP, as previously revealed by Newey.

"I think it's pretty well described in the statement Adrian sent out," Krack said. "I don't think we need to go over all the details of the changes. They'll be made public.

"I think what we said is that it's a significant aerodynamic improvement and a weight reduction. And obviously, we have to work on a lot of parts to achieve that. But if I had to list all the parts, I don't think I'd even know which ones have all been changed. So I think we'll wait until we have it and then we'll announce what we have to announce. And we'll see where we end up.

"Optimising the new package? It'll take us a little while. I don't think we'll get it right the first time. Because the new parts will also bring new features. And, although you can do a lot with simulation, those small details that the driver needs have to be worked on at the track.

"So I don't expect to have everything ready from the first free practice session. And it might even take us a couple of sessions to get the most out of it, yes."

Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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F1 Aston Martin Honda Dutch Grand Prix