Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Adrian Newey has outlined why he believes Honda has struggled to reach competitive performance at the start of the new Formula 1 era in 2026 following its partnership with Aston Martin.
The Silverstone-based team entered the new regulatory cycle with Honda supplying its power units. However, reliability issues—particularly severe engine vibrations—have disrupted the team’s preparation and limited its running during the early phase of the season.
Honda last exited Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 campaign after winning the drivers’ championship with Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing. But according to Newey, Aston Martin later discovered that many of the engineers responsible for that success were no longer part of Honda’s programme when it returned.
“A bit of history is important there,” Newey explained.
“Honda pulled out at the end of 2021. They then re-entered the sport at the end of 2022, so they were effectively out of competition for around a year.”
“When they reformed the programme, it became clear that a lot of the original group had dispersed and moved on to other industries, and many of the people who returned were actually new to Formula 1.”
Newey revealed that Aston Martin only became aware of the scale of the personnel changes toward the end of the 2025 season when concerns began emerging regarding Honda’s power targets.
“We didn’t know beforehand,” Newey said.
“We only really became aware of it in November last year when Lawrence, Andy Cowell and myself went to Tokyo to discuss rumours suggesting their original power target might not be achieved for the first race.”
“That discussion revealed that many of the original workforce had not returned when the programme restarted.”
Newey also suggested that Honda’s late commitment to the new Formula 1 regulations placed it at a structural disadvantage compared with rival manufacturers.
When Honda resumed development in 2023, the sport had already introduced the engine budget cap. In contrast, competing manufacturers had continued uninterrupted development during 2021 and 2022 without those financial restrictions.
“They effectively came back with maybe around 30 percent of their original team,” Newey added.
“And they returned directly into the budget cap era, while their rivals had been developing continuously with the same personnel. That meant they started significantly on the back foot, and unfortunately it has been difficult for them to catch up.”
As Aston Martin continues to build its new technical project—including major investment in its Silverstone facilities—the team and Honda are now focused on improving reliability and performance as the 2026 Formula 1 season progresses.
Photo Gallery
Read Also
Max Verstappen damaged the Red Bull RB22 floor after running through gravel during FP2 at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Sergio Perez calls for a clean FP3 after technical issues limited Cadillac’s running during practice at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
George Russell receives a stewards’ warning at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix after breaching practice start rules and citing sun haze.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!