HONDA PREPARES NEW ENGINE UPGRADE FOR ASTON MARTIN AT ZANDVOORT
Honda has confirmed that Aston Martin will receive its first major power unit upgrade of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. The Japanese manufacturer hopes the revised engine will help Aston Martin recover from a difficult first campaign under Formula 1’s new technical regulations.
The 2026 season has been challenging for Honda since returning as Aston Martin’s full works engine partner. The all-new RA626H power unit has struggled with both performance and reliability under the new regulations, leaving Aston Martin towards the back of the field for much of the season. While the Silverstone-based team has continued to develop its chassis, Honda has focused on solving weaknesses in the power unit before introducing a significant upgrade after the summer break.
Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s General Track Manager, confirmed that only two races remain before the updated engine is homologated for competition. According to Orihara, Honda will continue gathering data from the current specification during the upcoming events to better understand energy management before introducing the new package at Zandvoort.
The upgraded power unit has been developed under Formula 1’s new ADUO system, short for Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities. The FIA introduced this mechanism for the 2026 regulations to help manufacturers that fall behind in engine performance.
Rather than giving extra power or changing the sporting rules, ADUO allows struggling manufacturers more freedom to develop their power units while staying within the cost cap. The goal is to reduce the performance gap without creating an expensive development race.
Honda’s engineers are concentrating on improving the internal combustion engine by redesigning the combustion chamber and pre-chamber, reducing internal friction, and increasing overall efficiency. Importantly, the upgrade does not require any modifications to Aston Martin’s chassis, as all of the changes are contained within the power unit itself.
Orihara also highlighted the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps as an important learning opportunity. Under the 2026 regulations, the MGU-H has been removed and the more powerful MGU-K now plays a much bigger role in overall performance.
Spa’s long straights make energy deployment especially difficult because there are fewer opportunities to recover electrical energy, meaning manufacturers must carefully decide where and when to deploy the available battery power. The lessons learned there are expected to be valuable for other power-sensitive circuits, including Monza.
Honda believes the Zandvoort upgrade will represent an important step forward rather than a complete solution. The manufacturer has repeatedly stated that it does not expect to close the entire gap to the leading engine suppliers immediately, but hopes the new specification will deliver a noticeable improvement in both power and efficiency during the second half of the season.
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