Honda admit the harsh reality of Aston Martin F1 struggles

Honda have dropped a reality check on Aston Martin following a disappointing Singapore Grand Prix weekend for the team.

There were high hopes heading to Marina Bay after Fernando Alonso scored the team's best finish of the season with an eighth place at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Similar levels of performance to at least challenge for points were expected in Singapore but Adrian Newey's team came nowhere near the top 10 in another tough weekend.

Alonso, who demanded an engine change before the race due to his frustration with a lack of power, finished only 16th, while Lance Stroll was an early retirement.

The two-time world champion has since demanded improvements after another weekend of pain for the team in green.

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Honda outline grim Aston Martin reality

Aston Martin's power unit supplier Honda have since admitted the team fell short of expectations but believe their lower midfield struggles were an honest reflection on the pecking order in F1.

Chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said after the race: “We came into this race with a certain level of expectation, having scored points at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

"However, the outcome ultimately fell short of where we had hoped to be.

“Looking at our package as a whole, I believe this result reflects our current level of competitiveness relative to our rivals.

Orihara then explained that the difficulties in passing around Singapore did not help Alonso's progress up the field as well as stating that the team still gained valuable data from the weekend.

Singapore struggles were predictable

He added: “Following the replacement of power unit components under parc ferme conditions, both cars were required to start the race from the pit lane.

"Given the characteristics of the Singapore circuit, where overtaking is hard, we anticipated it would be a difficult race.

"At the same time, we were able to gather a significant amount of data throughout the weekend, and we aim to use the insights gained here to support our development and preparation for the upcoming races.”

Aston Martin remain second bottom in the constructors' championship with just seven points, all scored by Alonso in Monaco, the Netherlands and in Malaysia.

That meagre haul represents an awful season for the Silverstone outfit, with only the brand new and currently still pointless Cadillac team below them in the standings.

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