Aston Martin seems to be in trouble before the beginning of F1’s new technical era in 2026. Its new engine partner, Honda, which previously helped Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominate the ground-effect era, has admitted “struggling in many areas” in power unit development for the upcoming season.
The Lawrence Stroll-owned AMR team has an exclusive partnership with Honda for engines. Only two other organizations, including Audi, which will use in-house engines, and the two Red Bull teams, using Ford’s, have the same exclusive setup. Either Mercedes or Ferrari supplies the other seven teams.
Out of these five engine manufacturers, Mercedes is rumored to have the best power units. In a recent interview with Japanese outlet Web Sportiva, Honda Racing President Koji Watanabe was asked about their and Aston Martin’s progress.
“To be honest, not everything is going well, so we are struggling in many areas, but nothing fatal has happened that we can’t do anything about,” Watanabe admitted. “In the midst of all this, we are quietly concentrating on improving performance and reliability.”
He also touched upon the challenge of adapting the power units to technical head/team principal Adrian Newey’s vision for the chassis and aerodynamics.
“As Aston Martin wants to continue to create cars that incorporate Adrian’s vision, so the next step will be to figure out how to adapt the power unit to that. If that helps us increase our competitiveness and win, then we’re willing to do it (laughs).”
Honda will reveal its 2026 F1 power unit at an event on January 20, over two weeks before Aston Martin’s 2026 car, the AMR26, will be unveiled on February 9.
Fernando Alonso’s F1 future hinges on Aston Martin’s 2026 performance
At 44, Fernando Alonso is still dedicatedly chasing a third F1 drivers’ championship. It seemed as if he was en route to turning the tides in his favor in 2023, with six podiums in the first eight races. However, Aston Martin lost performance as the season progressed, and never bounced back until the ground-effect era ended in 2025.
Towards the end of the 2025 season, Alonso admitted that his retirement decision would hinge on the Silverstone-based team’s place in the pecking order. In an interview with Spanish publication Diario AS, the two-time F1 champion said:
“It depends on how I feel next year, physically and mentally. If the 2026 car is bad, there is a chance I continue another year to finish with a good taste in my mouth. If the car is good, 2026 will probably be my last year.”
Under Adrian Newey’s leadership, Aston Martin is expected to succeed in the new technical era by 2027 or 2028, if not 2026. Lance Stroll, son of team owner, Lawrence Stroll, will continue as Alonso’s teammate for the foreseeable future.
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