Aston Martin’s nightmare: Honda owns up to power unit meltdown

Newey’s Bahrain Reckoning: Aston Martin’s 2026 Gamble Falters

New era swagger met desert reality in Bahrain, where Aston Martin’s big 2026 plans kept stopping for breath; Adrian Newey is learning that being the boss means herding gremlins, not just sketching fast lines, and the shiny Honda hookup suddenly feels like a phone stuck on 1% battery. Alonso has that “I’ve seen this movie” look, the new gearbox gets stage fright, and the factory is selling calm while counting spares. The twist? The rulebook might…

Gary Anderson: Test disaster is the kick Honda needed

During my days as Jordan Formula 1 team technical director, I worked with Honda. Following pre-season testing for 2026 showed that the years may have rolled on, but the problems remain more or less the same. That means I have sympathy for the situation Aston Martin finds itself in.In my final Jordan days in 1998, a commercial decision was made to change from a very good Peugeot engine to a not-so-good Honda one. That has another parallel with to…

Reports of a huge bust-up within Aston Martin over testing disaster

Last Updated on February 22 2026, 9:25 am Even before the start of the season, tensions are reportedly running high at the Aston Martin F1 Team. According to Sport Bild, team owner Lawrence Stroll has held several crisis meetings with senior management following a worrying pre-season test in Bahrain. Some of these meetings are said ...

Aston Martin’s nightmare: Honda owns up to power unit meltdown

© XPB  Michael Delaney 21/02/2026 at 11:0721/02/2026 at 11:08 40 SHARES Share on.. Share on.. Share on.. Aston Martin engine supplier Honda has publicly conceded what the timing screens in Bahrain had already exposed – its 2026 F1 power unit is lacking both performance and reliability. Across six bruising days of pre-season running,...