Honda, what a flop with Aston Martin
The technical revolution of 2026 was supposed to be the ideal platform for the ambitions of Honda and Aston Martin. However, this platform sank at the first blow: the Japanese encountered significant difficulties in developing the new power unit, with reliability problems and other (very evident) competitiveness issues, while Lawrence Stroll’s team invested huge resources, including Adrian Newey, only to find themselves at the back of the grid.
Read more Honda Crisis, Watanabe: “We also started badly in 2015. We won’t give up, the work will pay off”
The start of the new technical cycle, in short, has been a disaster, and it risks ruining Fernando Alonso‘s career finale, who had firmly believed in Stroll’s project. Yet, despite the difficulties and uncertainties accompanying the 2026 program, a clear message comes from Honda headquarters: giving up is not an option.
Watanabe’s words
HRC President Koji Watanabe asked Aston Martin fans for more patience: “Thank you for your continued support. The start of the 2026 season has been very challenging for us and the current position is not what we would like. However, in difficult times, we rely on the spirit of challenge that is part of Honda and HRC’s DNA. Even in 2015 we faced a difficult start, but we became stronger by never giving up“.
Read more Honda Crisis, Watanabe: “We also started badly in 2015. We won’t give up, the work will pay off”
“All team members have continued to work hard to improve the 2026 power unit and the relationship with Aston Martin is getting stronger and stronger. In Barcelona, we organized a team meeting that gave us a great opportunity to communicate openly and consolidate our trust. I also had the pleasure of speaking directly with many team members“, he added. “As one team, we will continue to work hard together, building on these solid foundations. We will never give up, no matter the cost. We understand that the results so far have been frustrating and we share this feeling, but we believe that our hard work will pay off and we will keep moving forward“.
Read more Honda Crisis, Watanabe: “We also started badly in 2015. We won’t give up, the work will pay off”
