Aston Martin-Honda tensions grow as Silverstone questions Japanese engine programme – Aston Martin’s difficult first season with Honda has reportedly created growing frustration at Silverstone, with concerns about the competitiveness of the Japanese manufacturer’s Formula 1 power unit now being compounded by questions over communication between the two organisations.
Aston Martin entered the 2026 Formula 1 season believing its works partnership with Honda could provide the foundation for a genuine challenge near the front of the grid. Instead, the relationship has been tested almost from the moment the AMR26 first turned a wheel.
According to Spanish automotive publication Autonocion, skepticism is now growing within Aston Martin about whether Honda can deliver a power unit capable of matching Mercedes and Ferrari, both immediately and as the new engine regulations mature.
TJ13 understands that there is also frustration within parts of Aston Martin’s Silverstone operation over what sources describe as a lack of clear communication between the British factory and Honda’s engineering operation in Japan.
The communication issue is significant because it echoes one of the problems Honda itself later acknowledged from its previous Formula 1 partnership with McLaren back in 2015 to 2017.
Honda relationship began with serious problems
Aston Martin’s problems with Honda were exposed dramatically during pre-season testing and the opening race in Australia.
The Honda power unit suffered severe vibration problems, restricting Aston Martin’s running and preventing the team from gathering the data it needed to understand its new car.
Adrian Newey was unusually candid about the situation before the Australian Grand Prix. He said the vibrations were so severe that Fernando Alonso believed he could not complete more than 25 laps consecutively without risking permanent nerve damage to his hands.
The comments were particularly striking because Newey was appearing alongside Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe.
The problem was not simply performance. Honda’s reliability difficulties affected almost every aspect of Aston Martin’s development programme because the team could not run the car sufficiently to establish where the chassis itself stood.
Formula 1.com reported at the time that Aston Martin and Honda subsequently worked through a series of difficult meetings, with chief trackside officer Mike Krack saying the relationship had improved considerably.
“We are in this together,” Krack said, describing the approach adopted by both sides.
He later explained that the process had involved improvements to the technical collaboration between Silverstone and Sakura.
That public message is important because it demonstrates that Aston Martin itself has acknowledged the relationship went through a difficult period.
However, according to TJ13’s sources within Silverstone, communication remains a concern within sections of the factory operation.
Silverstone concerns focus on communication
The issue described to TJ13 is not simply that Honda’s engine has failed to deliver the performance Aston Martin wanted.
Sources indicate that there has been a perception inside the British operation that communication between the two sides has not always been sufficiently clear, particularly between engineers at Silverstone and those working on the power unit programme in Japan.
That creates an obvious problem in an era when chassis and power-unit development are increasingly inseparable.
Aston Martin is developing its own gearbox and rear suspension around Honda’s engine, while the 2026 regulations have dramatically increased the importance of electrical energy.
Honda’s RA626H therefore cannot simply be treated as an independent component. Its characteristics influence the entire AMR26.
This makes rapid and precise communication between the two organisations essential, not helped by the vast physical distance between the UK and Japan.
There is also a historical reason why the issue will attract attention.
Historical precedent
Honda’s previous modern-era partnership with McLaren, which began in late 2014 into 2015, was ultimately damaged by poor communication as well as technical and performance problems.
Honda F1 boss Masashi Yamamoto later acknowledged that communication had been a significant issue, saying that excessive mutual respect had contributed to both sides failing to communicate properly.
McLaren publicly insisted at the time that it had established communication channels between Woking and Honda’s Sakura base. Eric Boullier said the teams had created “constant communication channels between Sakura, Woking and Milton Keynes.”
Despite those assurances, communication remained one of the recurring themes surrounding the troubled partnership.
The comparison should not be taken to mean Aston Martin and Honda are heading towards the same outcome. The circumstances are very different.
But the historical precedent demonstrates why communication between Silverstone and Sakura is not a minor administrative issue.
Newey’s criticism exposed the depth of the problem
The relationship also suffered a public setback because of Newey’s unusually direct comments at the beginning of the season.
The Aston Martin team principal effectively placed the spotlight on Honda’s power unit after the Australian pre-season problems, with the vibrations becoming severe enough to affect the team’s ability to run the car.
Honda subsequently had to work through those problems before attention could turn fully towards performance.
There was another important revelation in March.
Newey said Aston Martin had only discovered in November 2025 that Honda’s Formula 1 project was in a very different state from the programme that had powered Red Bull to success.
Newey, Andy Cowell and Lawrence Stroll had travelled to Tokyo after rumours emerged that Honda would not reach its original performance target for the start of the season.
That revelation raised questions about how much Aston Martin knew about Honda’s development situation before the partnership reached its first race.
It also provides important context for the concerns now being reported.
If the two sides did not have a complete picture of the power-unit programme until relatively late in the 2025 development cycle, there was inevitably going to be a considerable amount of pressure once the 2026 season began.
Honda has already changed its engine leadership
The latest development from Sakura has added further intrigue.
Honda announced in September that Tetsushi Kakuda, who had been responsible for development of its Formula 1 power unit, would be replaced by his current assistant Yoichiro Fukao from October 1.
Honda described the move as a “planned transition” while also saying that it was intended to “accelerate” power-unit development and ensure a smooth transition to the next generation of engineers.
The timing is notable.
Honda introduced its first major 2026 power-unit update at Zandvoort, with the Spec 2 engine focused primarily on the internal combustion engine.
The manufacturer has subsequently said that progress is broadly in line with expectations, although driveability remains an area requiring further improvement.
That means Honda is not standing still.
The company is actively developing the power unit, while Aston Martin has also introduced substantial chassis changes. The 16-part upgrade package at Hungary was followed by Honda’s revised engine at Zandvoort.
The problem is that Aston Martin needs both development programmes to work together.
Aston Martin still needs Honda to deliver
There is therefore a delicate balance at play.
Publicly, Aston Martin and Honda continue to insist that they are working together to solve their problems.
Privately, however, TJ13 understands that there is frustration among some personnel at Silverstone about the effectiveness of communication with Japan.
That does not necessarily mean Aston Martin is considering abandoning Honda. Indeed, under the current regulations, doing so would be extraordinarily difficult and would undermine much of the technical philosophy behind the team’s 2026 project.
Instead, the immediate question is whether the two organisations can establish the kind of communication and technical integration required to turn their considerable resources into performance.
Honda has enormous Formula 1 experience, while Aston Martin has invested heavily in its Silverstone infrastructure and recruited Newey to lead its technical transformation.
The potential remains considerable.
But potential is not enough in Formula 1.
The opening months of the partnership have already demonstrated that an engine supplier and works team can have world-class facilities, highly regarded personnel and enormous financial backing, yet still struggle if the two organisations are not operating from exactly the same technical information and objectives.
For Aston Martin, the next stage of its relationship with Honda may therefore be decided as much by what happens between Silverstone and Sakura as by what happens on the dyno or the racetrack.
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The Judge, a nom de plume of an experienced F1 journalist and site founder with long-standing sources across the paddock. With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
