Honda's First F1 Engine Upgrade at Zandvoort Targets Drivability

Honda will bring its first Formula 1 power unit update of the 2026 season to Zandvoort. The upgrade is entirely focused on the internal combustion engine, following the chassis improvements introduced by Aston Martin in Hungary.

Honda's chief engineer, Shintaro Orihara, admits their engine performance remains the biggest weakness compared to other manufacturers. "Our engine performance is definitely poor compared to other manufacturers. So probably the most important point to improve now is our engine performance, because the gap is quite huge," he said in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com.

This upgrade is expected to reduce the power deficit that has been holding back Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Optimistic estimates suggest a potential gain of up to 30 bhp. However, Orihara stresses the main target is to get back to the "racing field", where every tenth of a second truly matters.

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"Our target is to get back to the racing field, to a situation where the 10 milliseconds or 20 milliseconds that we try so hard to find every weekend can actually make a difference," he explained.

Beyond power, another challenge emerges: drivability. Significant changes in engine characteristics mean drivability development must restart. "When we introduce the spec 2 engine, combustion characteristics will change. Engine behaviour in the cornering phase will also be different. So we need to develop our drivability again," said Orihara.

Fortunately, Honda is not starting from scratch. Lessons from the first half of the season, including tool development and optimisation methods, can be applied to the new specification. "We have made good progress. Now we know how to do it and where to improve. That has been a big learning, and we can carry it over to our B spec engine," he added.

This is also why Aston Martin's filming day at the Hungaroring with the new power unit was crucial. The initial data gathered is expected to help avoid unpleasant surprises at Zandvoort.