Honda provide fresh F1 update: 'Things will take time'

Honda has confirmed its engineers continue working around the clock to solve the power unit issues plaguing Aston Martin's disastrous 2026 season, with the Japanese manufacturer cautioning that an immediate fix remains elusive ahead of next month's Miami Grand Prix.

Shintaro Orihara, Honda's trackside general manager and chief engineer, revealed in a video shared on social media that team members from both Aston Martin and Honda Racing Corporation have been collaborating at HRC's Research and Development Centre in Sakura since the Japanese Grand Prix.

"As you know, the Bahrain Grand Prix and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix were postponed," said Orihara. "But that doesn't mean that the work has stopped.

"After the Japanese Grand Prix, Aston Martin team members and Honda Racing Corporation have been working together at HRC Research and Development Centre in Sakura, about three hours from Tokyo.

"We have been working around the clock to enhance our countermeasures, and the work will keep continuing as we approach the next F1 race in Miami."

The statement arrives as Aston Martin languishes in 11th and last place in the constructors' championship with zero points from the opening three races, a catastrophic start driven primarily by severe vibrations emanating from the Honda power unit.

The vibrations, which proved far more extreme on track than in dyno testing, have caused repeated battery failures and led to concerns over the risk of "permanent nerve damage" in the hands of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

The battery cannot withstand the violent shaking transmitted through the rigid connection between the engine, gearbox and MGU-K, with units suffering damage severe enough to render them unusable.

The issue has proven particularly problematic given F1's cost-saving regulations limiting teams to just two batteries per car per season. At the Australian Grand Prix, Honda arrived with only four batteries, two of which failed within the first hour of practice.

Both Honda and Aston Martin have acknowledged that the problem cannot be solved by the power unit alone, with the chassis design and integration strategy also requiring attention.

Honda has accepted that the fixes will not materialise quickly, despite the intensive development work underway.

"We know that things will take time, but we will keep working hard together," Orihara added.