Honda bullish about update for Aston Martin after F1 summer break

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Aston Martin

Honda bullish about update for Aston Martin after F1 summer break

Honda are beginning to upgrade their power unit

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 29 July 2026 23:13

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Honda Racing chief Shintaro Orihara is optimistic about the remainder of Aston Martin's F1 season, issuing a positive update on their power unit.

Aston Martin brought 16 chassis upgrades to the Hungarian Grand Prix, with design legend Adrian Newey having worked tirelessly to try and develop the car since the start of 2026.

The Silverstone-based outfit had been squabbling with Cadillac on the back two rows of the grid for much of the 2026 season, struggling with both reliability and performance.

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But the revised AMR26 that the team brought to the Hungaroring allowed them to take a step forward, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finishing 13th and 14th respectively in the race, a day after Alonso made it into Q2 for the first time this season.

During the weekend, Newey revealed there would be more upgrades coming to the chassis at the Italian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix later in the summer, but before then, something arguably even more exciting is coming for Aston Martin.

The team have been struggling with their Honda power unit for most of this year so far, but following the summer break, Honda will be unveiling an upgraded power unit at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Honda power unit upgrades offer Aston Martin boost

The new power unit is being tested before then thanks to filming days in Hungary just days after the F1 circus left town, but the engine will make its competitive debut at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort after the summer break.

That is the next race on the calendar, and Honda's upgrades are in part thanks to the FIA's additional development upgrade and opportunities (ADUO) scheme.

ADUO was brought in at the start of the year to help struggling power unit manufacturers amid the 2026 regulations reset, offering more time to manufacturers who are lagging behind the best power unit.

Honda have the worst-performing power unit, and were given two homologations in the first round of ADUO rulings, with the second ADUO period coming up after race 12 (the Dutch GP on August 23).

Orihara has issued some very confident updates on both Honda and Aston Martin's progress as the team look to move up the constructors' championship standings.

"In Hungary, we saw some pretty strong pace and now we’re back in the mix," Orihara told AS.

"Any improvement is crucial to catching up with the rival car, and introducing the new engine at Zandvoort is essential. The chassis is working well, so our engine should give us something to smile about."

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