Overview
- Koji Watanabe said late June that Honda’s 2026 power unit is currently the weakest on the grid and has shown the most reliability failures compared with rivals.
- He linked the decline to a delayed restart after Honda’s 2021 withdrawal, the challenges of the new 2026 regulations, and the change to Aramco fuel and Valvoline lubricants.
- Aston Martin has struggled through the opening seven rounds and sits 10th in the constructors’ standings with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll left chasing both pace and finishing reliability.
- Honda has focused first on fixing reliability issues such as engine vibration, plans an internal combustion engine upgrade for the summer, and Aston Martin will bring a major aerodynamic update before the summer break.
- Team owner Lawrence Stroll and HRC say they remain committed to a multi‑season recovery that will rebuild engineering capacity and talent rather than deliver an overnight turnaround.