Honda outlines major upgrade plan for next season

Pulse Sports Team 14:17 - 27 October 2026

Japanese manufacturer Honda has outlined its strategy to introduce two major technical upgrade packages during the 2027 season, aimed at delivering significant progress for the Aston Martin Formula 1 team.

The new partnership between the two outfits faced severe pace and reliability struggles throughout 2026, with key issues revolving around power deficits, harsh vibrations, turbo lag, and complicated drivability.

Under the ADUO framework, Honda will be allowed two major updates in 2027 to help close the gap to their competitors. The power unit will undergo redesigns during the year to extract more power from the internal combustion engine and reduce overall battery dependency.

While combustion remains one of the engine's primary weaknesses, chief engineer Shintaro Orihara is optimistic about the upcoming steps. He believes the two-stage upgrade package, including a mid-season update in 2027, will bring the Japanese manufacturer and Aston Martin on par with the front-runners.

"We need concrete steps to catch up with the leaders, and our goal is to bring the first upgrades as early as round one in 2027," Orihara said in Austin over the weekend. "Even then, we won't be among the favourites, which is why we need another step. As Adrian Newey has already mentioned, our aim is to make the next big leap mid-season, around round eight in Monaco. That is our plan, and we are sticking to it. Our weakness is the combustion process, so we are working hard to refine it ahead of next season, when the ICE's role will be even more decisive."

Full backing from Aston Martin

Aston Martin trackside operations chief Mike Krack also addressed speculation regarding a potential deal with Red Bull Powertrains for 2028 should the partnership with Honda come to an early end.

"All I can say is that we have a long-term partner, and that partner is Honda," Krack stated firmly. "By the way, they celebrated their 500th race in Austin, and I believe we will be together when we take our first joint victory."