Aston Martin has had a disastrous 2026 F1 season with the power unit being its Achilles heel. Amid the troublesome 2026 season, team owner Lawrence Stroll is reportedly evaluating his options for Honda’s replacement starting 2028.
With the major regulation change set for the 2026 season, Aston Martin brought in Adrian Newey and signed Honda as the exclusive power unit supplier. Honda, which had previously decided to leave F1, returned after the FIA announced the 2026 regulations focusing greatly on the hybrid power unit.
However, Honda’s championship-winning team members with Red Bull had already been assigned to different projects within the Japanese manufacturer conglomerate, while RBPT signed others. With a delayed start to the Aston Martin project and Adrian Newey asking for late changes, the Honda power unit arrived as the least reliable and least powerful of the 2026 suppliers.
Although the AMR26 was overweight and had other aerodynamic setbacks, the Achilles heel was the Honda power unit. Despite the ADUO upgrade, the power unit is nowhere near the competitors.
There is a significant concern about Honda’s power unit going in 2027, with Aston Martin reportedly urging Honda to bring experienced engineers from competition. As per the reports, if Honda fails to make a significant step in performance next season, Lawrence Stroll is considering making a switch for the 2028 season.
Mercedes, which formerly supplied Aston Martin engines, and Red Bull Powertrains are rumored to be the possible replacements.
The Honda power unit was reportedly 50 horsepower down on Mercedes at the start of the season, and the ADUO update reportedly added 15 horsepower. A new gearbox was also introduced to combat the power deficit.
Yet, the biggest issue remains the reliability of the Honda powertrain, with Lance Stroll retiring at last weekend’s Singapore GP with a clutch issue.
F1 insider on Lawrence Stroll’s frustration with Honda amid Aston Martin’s 2026 performance
Lawrence Stroll invested over $200M in a new factory in Silverstone in an attempt to make Aston Martin a title contender. He hired Adrian Newey and other top talent, pouring money in just to make the Silverstone outlet a title contender.
Instead, Aston Martin is currently sitting P10 in the standings, just ahead of Cadillac. F1 insider Antonio Lobato detailed Lawrence Stroll’s frustration, as he said (via SoyMotor)
“I insist, Lawrence Stroll didn’t build the business empire he has by being a little lamb. And right now, this situation must be driving him mad. I mean, he must be absolutely climbing the walls, saying, ‘Right, I’m going to Japan and I’m going to grab all the Japanese guys by the lapels until they make me an engine that has some go, that actually works, because this is unacceptable’, right?”
“And that problem is starting to wear away at the patience of one side and the other, and it’s starting to wear away at Fernando’s patience,” he added
Honda has called back its engineers to the F1 project, who were assigned to the solar project after Red Bull championships.
