Fernando Alonso says more work is needed to optimise Honda's more powerful engine after struggling to keep his car on track during sprint qualifying at Zandvoort. The Aston Martin driver finished last (P22) in SQ1, three seconds off the pace, after experiencing heavy vibrations and driveability issues.
Driveability Issues with New Honda Engine
Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll have received the second specification of Honda's V6 power unit at the Dutch Grand Prix. The Japanese manufacturer had earmarked Zandvoort as the site to deploy its one in-season engine upgrade this year. However, while running the new unit in anger, both drivers encountered fresh driveability issues on Friday.
“Free practice was more or less okay but in qualifying we had problems on the engine. Driveability was pushing on the braking, so it was difficult to stop the car sometimes because the engine was over-delivering. And then apparently the SLM mode [the lower drag setting on the 2026 car] didn't work for me so I could not open the rear wing. A combination of both made the laps very tricky,” said Alonso.
Stroll similarly grappled with the behaviour of his new power unit. He finished P19, ahead of both Cadillac cars. “We were struggling with the driveability, and there were a few other things that weren’t quite right, so we need to understand why. It’s really windy out there, but it’s the same for everyone. We’ll go through everything tonight, look at the data, and try to make some improvements for tomorrow,” said Stroll.
Honda's Homework Starts Over
On the surface, Friday's performance feels like a puzzling step backwards for Aston Martin and Honda, especially after its huge Hungary car upgrade moved the Silverstone squad back into the heart of F1's midfield. But Honda had already calculated that bringing the new power unit would mean that a lot of the work done at the start of the season to improve its subpar driveability would have to be largely re-done for the latest specification.
“We developed our tools to optimise our driveability. We have made good progress, and we were close to what we wanted to achieve. But when we introduce the spec 2 engine, the combustion characteristics will change. There will be a big difference,” Shintaro Orihara, Honda's F1 project leader, told Motorsport.com.
Orihara explained that the change in combustion characteristics requires extensive recalibration to return driveability to the desired level. “We have to start from scratch again to understand these new characteristics. It's not unexpected, but we have to work quickly to ensure maximum performance for the rest of the season,” he added.
The immediate impact is felt in the standings. Aston Martin, which had been consistently scoring points, now faces a poor starting position for the sprint. However, the team is confident that with the data collected, they can fix these issues before the main qualifying session and Sunday's race. The focus is on ensuring the engine works in harmony with the chassis to avoid losing valuable points in the constructors' battle.
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