Aston Martin F1 Team team principal Adrian Newey has revealed that the team was caught off guard by the extent of changes within its engine partner Honda as preparations continue for the new Formula 1 regulations in 2026, AP reported.
Speaking on Friday, Newey said Aston Martin only realised late last year that Honda had retained a small portion of the staff that previously helped deliver championship-winning power units. According to him, only around 30 per cent of the original workforce remained involved when the Japanese manufacturer returned to the project, which has made the process of getting up to speed more challenging.
The comments come just a day after Newey admitted that Aston Martin could struggle to finish the season-opening race at the Australian Grand Prix without drivers risking serious discomfort due to vibrations in the car.
Honda had originally exited Formula 1 at the end of 2021 after completing a successful partnership with Red Bull Racing. The move also led Red Bull to create its own power unit division. Although Honda later agreed to continue building and servicing engines for Red Bull until the end of 2025, its return to Formula 1 as a works partner with Aston Martin came in a very different structure.
Newey explained that much of the original engineering group had moved on during the period when Honda stepped away from the sport.
“When they reformed, a lot of the original group had – it now transpires – disbanded, and had gone to work on solar panels, or whatever,” Newey said.
“A lot of the group that reformed are actually fresh to Formula 1. They didn’t bring the (championship-winning) experience that they had previously. Plus, when they came back in 2023, that was the first year of the budget cap introduction for engines.”
“We only really became aware of it, kind of November of last year when we – Lawrence (Stroll), Andy Cowell and myself went to Tokyo to discuss rumors starting to suggest that their original target power, they wouldn’t achieve for race one,” Newey said.
The team’s difficulties were also evident during Friday’s opening practice session in Australia. Lance Stroll completed just three laps before a power unit issue forced him to stop running. He ended the session 21st and last on the timesheet, finishing 30 seconds off the pace.
Meanwhile, his teammate Fernando Alonso did not participate in the session at all after a suspected power unit-related problem was discovered on his car before the opening one-hour run. Inputs from AP.
