Racing
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Aston Martin’s upgraded AMR26 has taken a clear step forward, but Honda’s new-spec power unit remains a major weakness after Fernando Alonso finished ninth at Zandvoort while both drivers battled erratic engine braking and downshift problems.
The Dutch Grand Prix offered evidence that Aston Martin’s chassis development is working. The substantial aerodynamic update introduced in Hungary was followed by four or five further components in the Netherlands, and Alonso described the car as “another step forward, especially on the chassis side.” He said the team had refined its set-up around the new package and was now able to optimise the chassis and extract its potential.
That progress has not solved the issue confronting the drivers on corner entry. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin driver, said the Honda Spec 2 unit had improved by “not nearly enough” and called its behavior under braking “like a lottery.”
“At the moment, we’re not getting consistent engine braking on corner entry,” Stroll said. “And quite often the downshift doesn’t work properly either. So there are a lot of problems.”
Alonso reported the same shortcomings after the race, saying Aston Martin was “struggling with the downshift again” and with engine braking varying “corner to corner.” The inconsistency makes it harder for the drivers to predict the car’s response under braking, undermining confidence even as the revised chassis has become more competitive.
The fix is not expected to be immediate. Alonso said Aston Martin needs changes “from the factory, the software or whatever is necessary,” adding that the issue comes from Japan and “cannot happen overnight.”
Shintaro Orihara, Honda F1 chief engineer, said Honda is working at HRC Sakura to improve combustion control and ensure the engine delivers what the driver requests. Restoring driver confidence is Honda’s top priority in both the short and medium term, but Aston Martin expects the long straights at Monza to expose its limitations particularly sharply.