Jul.3 (GMM) Aston Martin and Honda are converging on the same target as they prepare their long-awaited recovery plan.
After Adrian Newey confirmed the team’s major ‘B car’ will debut in Hungary, Honda is now targeting the following race at Zandvoort for its similarly significant engine upgrade.
“I was expecting this question,” Honda chief race engineer Shintaro Orihara smiled at Silverstone. “I kept saying ‘in the summer’.
“So I would say that our target is the Netherlands.”
Orihara would not reveal the expected horsepower gain. “I know the number, but I’m not going to say.”
Nor would he confirm exactly how Honda intends to use its ADUO allocation.
“We’ll be bringing a lot of upgrades to the Netherlands,” he said. “We’ll be modifying some pretty important parts.”
Like Aston Martin, Honda has deliberately chosen one major upgrade rather than several smaller ones.
“Our goal is to make a fairly big leap forward, rather than taking small steps,” Orihara explained.
Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, insists his decision about staying at Aston Martin in 2027 will not depend solely on whether the upgrades work.
“I’ll think about it during the summer break,” he said.
“Maybe the car is superb, but you get the feeling that the sport is going in the wrong direction.”
The Spaniard is among many drivers at Silverstone warning that the iconic circuit will expose the shortcomings of Formula 1’s 2026 cars.
“Wonderful racetracks like Spa or Silverstone, which were simply stunning in the past, will probably feel different,” Alonso said.
“If you go by the experience in the simulator, it’s really sad, for both the drivers and the spectators.”
Instead, Alonso says what matters most is whether Hungary proves Aston Martin is heading in the right direction.
“This is just the first step in the plan – it can’t be the last,” he said.
“If we improve in Hungary and can push the car to its limits, then I think there’s a very clear path and good momentum that we can build on for next year.
“That, for me, is the most important thing.”
Mike Krack also cautioned that extracting the full potential from the new package will not happen overnight.
“It will take some time. I don’t think it will be perfect immediately,” he said.
“It might even take us a couple of sessions per Grand Prix to extract its full potential.”
Lance Stroll is also optimistic after trying the package in the simulator.
“It’s supposed to go a lot faster,” the Canadian said.
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