Exclusive: Honda reveal initial Aston Martin response to F1 issues: 'They never complained'

Aston Martin did not complain about Honda's troubled start to their new Formula 1 partnership, the Japanese manufacturer has revealed, with trackside manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara instead praising the team's response to the series of severe problems.

Aston Martin's first season as Honda's works partner has been anything but straightforward, with poor reliability, a lack of performance and severe battery-related vibrations leaving the team fighting at the back of the field.

The situation was particularly stark at the start of the season, when Adrian Newey shared that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were experiencing vibrations severe enough to raise fears of permanent nerve damage to their hands.

Yet despite the scale of the crisis, Orihara says Aston Martin never directed its frustration towards Honda.

"In winter testing, as you know, we had a tough moment," he tells RacingNews365 as part of an exclusive interview. "But trackside, at the beginning of the season, our relationship was already good, thanks to Mike [Krack, Aston Martin chief trackside officer].

"They [Aston Martin] never complained to Honda. Of course, we are professional, so we are discussing what the problem is and how we should react, but they always respect Honda, so our relationship was good from the beginning of this year.

"Also, on the factory side, they had good communication at the beginning of this year, and they have improved communication — we were working more closely together when we had the problem with battery vibration issues.

"So I think our communication level or relationship has been getting better and better and better throughout the season."

Honda and Aston Martin held meetings 'every day'

That relationship was tested almost immediately.

Aston Martin had the lowest mileage of any team in pre-season testing as Honda's new power unit suffered repeated battery problems, while the vibration transferred through the car created additional reliability and driver comfort concerns.

The team subsequently spent much of the opening phase of the season trying to establish reliability before performance could become the priority. Aston Martin currently sits 10th in the constructors' championship with one point, just ahead of newcomers Cadillac on zero.

Orihara has now revealed how intensive the response was behind the scenes.

"We had meetings between Japan — HRC Sakura — and Aston Martin every day when we had those problems; every day we had a meeting about what we should do," he shares.

"In winter testing, we had the battery issues, and that was the critical one. Without any countermeasures, we couldn't survive in rounds one, two and three.

"And then, between winter testing and round one, every day we had a discussion about what we should do, and then, together, we brought a countermeasure to round one, and then we survived. So that was happening in the background."

The countermeasure helped prevent the battery vibrations from causing further failures, although the fundamental chassis vibration remained an issue.

Newey's assessment in Melbourne underlined how serious it had become, with mirrors and other components being shaken loose and Alonso reporting numbness in his hands and feet.

No culture clash between Honda and Aston Martin

That early adversity could easily have strained a first-year works relationship. Instead, Orihara believes it has ultimately strengthened it.

"This is not the first time Honda has worked with UK teams," he points out. "We have a lot of experience working with McLaren, working with Red Bull — also Italian teams.

"So we are quite experienced in working with UK outfits. So I think culture differences or language barriers do not matter.

"And then the relationship is... thanks to having tough moments, that has built up our relationship to be quite strong. So I think we are now in a good position in terms of the relationship between Honda and Aston Martin."

The results, however, remain difficult to ignore. Aston Martin's early-season pace left it regularly battling Cadillac, while the team endured 10 DNFs across the opening 11 grands prix.

There was nevertheless a notable shift in Hungary.

Aston Martin introduced a 16-part chassis package, including weight reduction and extensive aerodynamic changes. Alonso described the revised car as "much better", while Stroll said it was the most encouraging upgrade the team had experienced in a long time.

Newey subsequently called it an "encouraging first step", with the performance matching the team's predictions.

That matters because Honda's next move is now imminent.

Honda ready for first ADUO upgrade

The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort will see Honda introduce its first power unit upgrade of the season, after the manufacturer was granted two 2026 ADUO opportunities.

ADUO — Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities — is F1's new mechanism for allowing underperforming power unit manufacturers additional scope to develop their engines.

The FIA assesses ICE performance against the benchmark; manufacturers more than four per cent behind the leader can receive two upgrades in the current season and two in the following year.

Honda was assessed as more than four per cent behind Red Bull's benchmark power unit and, despite having two opportunities, elected to concentrate its efforts on one major summer upgrade.

The timing could therefore prove significant. Aston Martin has finally demonstrated that its chassis can move forward, while Honda now has the opportunity to address the performance deficit that has compounded the team's problems.

For Orihara, the difficult beginning has not diminished Honda's ambition. If anything, it has sharpened it.

"If we are the top competitor, that is the best scenario," Orihara explains. "But on the other hand, if there is a big challenge, that gives us big motivation.

At Honda, our spirit is always 'never give up', and as challenging as it is, we've got a big motivation.

"So, definitely not a happy situation [at the moment], but we are excited about how we can improve our performance and catch up to the top competitors at some point. So we are enjoying it."