Honda's internal combustion engine trails the benchmark set by Red Bull Powertrains by more than 4%. That gap earns the Japanese manufacturer two additional homologation periods, the windows in which engine specifications are formally approved, to build a competitive power unit for Aston Martin. Alarmed by the possible departure of Fernando Alonso, the Aston Martin driver, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA, motorsport's world governing body, declared openly that the Spanish star must not be allowed to leave under any circumstances and announced further changes to the regulations. Toto Wolff, for his part, considered the move entirely fair.
Yet despite the officials' efforts and the promised rule changes, Honda's chief engineer, Shintaro Orihara, took a firm stance. It was hard to say what the president was really thinking, he said, but no one should expect any "magic". The Japanese marque has no major upgrades planned for the 2026 season and, with the new regulations in force, is focusing solely on refining calibration and energy management.
