Honda max out budget as major Aston Martin upgrade set to be unleashed at Dutch GP

Honda has confirmed it has delivered a major power unit upgrade to Aston Martin that could see them challenging for points at the Dutch Grand Prix.

2026 has been a challenging year for the Silverstone-based outfit, with just one point scored between Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in the first half of the season.

That sees the team sitting 10th in the constructors' standings, with only Cadillac having fared worse so far.

While there have been issues on the chassis side, another gremlin the team have had to contend with is their Honda power unit. At the start of the year, vibrations from the unit posed a risk of permanent nerve damage to the drivers' hands, and there have also been performance issues compared to their rivals.

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Aston Martin set for Honda upgrade at Zandvoort

F1's rules are designed to encourage close competition, though, and through the additional development and upgrade opportunities (ADUO) regulations, Honda have been given the opportunity to improve their performance.

The ADUO system works by comparing each manufacturer’s internal combustion engine (ICE) performance against the best-performing engine, with manufacturers that fall 2% or more behind becoming eligible for extra upgrades.

If you fall into the 2-4 per cent range, you get one upgrade in the current season, and another upgrade in 2027. However, if you are more than four per cent behind the leading engine, you get two upgrades this season and two more next.

The latter is the category in which Honda fell, and now, they say they have maxed out their development budget under the system to bring a big change for the Dutch Grand Prix.

"For the first race of the second half of the season following the summer break, Honda will introduce an updated power unit as it looks to improve performance together with Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team (AMAF1)," Honda's official website read.

"The updated RA626H delivers increased power through improvements to the ICE (internal combustion engine), along with minor upgrades to the battery and other components.

"Honda has made maximum use of the development budget and bench-testing time made available through ADUO (Additional Development Upgrade Opportunities) to improve performance."

Aston Martin could 'compete for points'

The new power unit upgrade comes after a major overhaul on the AMR26 at the Hungarian Grand Prix last time out, which had already increased the team's competitiveness.

That, combined with the new power unit, means Aston Martin should be challenging for points from here on out, according to Honda.

"Combining the more competitive AMR26 with the Honda Spec 2 power unit is expected to create a synergistic effect, giving the team the performance to join the midfield battle and compete for points," Honda said.

All eyes are now on Zandvoort, and whether the upgrade delivers on that promise.

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Written by

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson - F1 Editor

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