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Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) president Koji Watanabe has made a surprisingly candid admission, conceding that the Japanese manufacturer "wasted two years" in developing its Formula 1 power unit for Aston Martin. He labeled this year's engine as "noticeably weaker" than those of their competitors, citing official FIA ADUO data.
Watanabe made the stark remarks in an interview with the Japanese edition of motorsport.com. With his retirement set for the end of the year—when he will hand the reins to Keiichi Yasuda—his comments carry even greater weight, given that manufacturers rarely acknowledge such performance deficits in public.
The admission comes as a severe blow to Fernando Alonso's aspirations. The two-time world champion managed to collect just seven points across the opening 17 rounds of the campaign, as Aston Martin continued to grapple with reliability woes, a lack of outright power, and erratic energy deployment.
FIA Data Confirms Deficit
Asked directly whether the power unit Honda supplies to Aston Martin is weaker than those of rival manufacturers, Watanabe did not mince his words, albeit with a caveat regarding data accuracy.
“Judging by the performance levels measured by the FIA for ADUO, I believe our power unit is considerably behind the rest of the field. Naturally, we don't have access to the exact parameters of our competitors, so this assessment is based on our trust in the federation's data.”
Regarding the root cause of these struggles, the HRC president was unequivocal: a delayed start to development.
Where were those two years lost?
Watanabe reflected on Honda's decision to make an official return to Formula 1 as a full works manufacturer. Rival suppliers had already established a substantial head start, and the Japanese marque needed valuable time to rebuild its development infrastructure.
“Our decision to commit again came a year later than the others. On top of that, rebuilding our entire development setup took time, meaning we effectively lost two years.”
He explained that efforts during that period were largely focused on refining the battery and electric motor. Watanabe also conceded that closing the gap is made all the more difficult by strict limits on dyno testing hours.
Adrian Newey's Warning
The revelation casts earlier friction in a whole new light. At the season opener in Melbourne, Adrian Newey told The Independent that Aston Martin only realized Honda's resource shortfall last November. The legendary designer pointed out at the time that the Japanese outfit was operating at roughly 30 percent of its previous capacity in the budget cap era, admitting he felt powerless to intervene.
Three weeks later, Watanabe attempted to downplay those claims, labeling them a "misunderstanding" and explaining that Honda routinely rotates engineering staff into mass-production and advanced technology divisions.
Seven months later, however, the Honda chief's own verdict aligns almost entirely with Newey's assessment: the Japanese manufacturer started too late and has struggled to catch up. The daunting challenge of turning things around now falls to his successor, Keiichi Yasuda.
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