Aston Martin AMR26

Engine

The AMR26 is powered by the Honda RA626H power unit,^[1] being the first Aston Martin car to be powered by Honda, who returns to a fully fledged capacity from 2026 onwards and is the first Silverstone-based Formula One car to utilise a Japanese-licensed engine since customer Toyota-powered Midland M16 in 2006 season (including the Jordan era from 2005) as well as Honda full-works engine since Jordan EJ12 in 2002 season.^[2][3] It is also the first to be developed by Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile following their departure from Red Bull Racing and Ferrari, respectively.^[4][5] The Aston Martin AMR26 is also the first Formula One car to utilise full-scale Honda engines since the Red Bull Racing RB16B and Scuderia AlphaTauri AT02 in the 2021 season, also the first Silverstone-based car to utilise an engine supplier other than Mercedes since the Ferrari-powered Force India VJM01 in the 2008 season and also the first-Honda powered Formula One car to utilize a fuel and lubricant supplier other than ExxonMobil since the McLaren MCL32 in the 2017 season when it used BP fuel and Castrol lubricant products due to Aston Martin's existing partnerships with Aramco and Valvoline. The AMR26, and by extension the RA626H, debuted on track at a private pre-season shakedown at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 27 January.^{[citation needed]}

Development deficits

During the shakedown and subsequent test at Bahrain International Circuit, the Honda engine showcased numerous deficits;^[6] not only did the team observe lower mileage than other teams, but the team recorded three breakdowns over all the tests,^[7] and during the latter test, its recorded fastest time was four seconds slower than rival power units.^[8] Honda confirmed that vibrations in the engine were damaging the battery system.^[9]

The poor performance and unreliability of the Honda engine was so noticeable that Honda used up most of their spare parts during the Bahrain test alone, leaving them unprepared for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix to the point that they considered skipping the round by qualifying within the 107% rule and retiring early to conserve parts.^[10] Furthermore, Honda admitted that the engine vibrations were strong enough that driving the car for an extended period of time could cause nerve damage. The vibrations also disallowed Honda from running the car at its full potential.

For the first race, the team was considering a run limit of 25 laps before retiring both cars.^[11] While Stroll was able to participate in the first practice, power unit issues forced Alonso out of participating. Stroll completed three laps before suffering similar issues. Due to these issues, the team used up all of their spare battery supplies, with the remaining two batteries left running in the cars themselves. Stroll was forced out of third practice due to an ICE issue. Despite a great start, passing seven cars on the first half of the opening lap, Alonso failed to finish the race after suffering an engine issue, but became the first driver to be sent back out into the race after retiring since Sergio Pérez in the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix, before then retiring for a second time. Stroll was also sent back into the race after retiring, and was able to finish but was not classified, finishing 15 laps down. A similar thing was observed at the Chinese Grand Prix, with Alonso retiring due to the vibrations.^{[citation needed]}

The vibrations were reportedly resolved by the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, Honda's home race, after Aston Martin tested a part on the Friday practice sessions that attempted to mitigate the issue. Alonso finished the race in 18th, marking Aston Martin's first finish of the year.^[12]

While resolving the vibration issue, Aston Martin's car remained the worst on pace, usually bringing up the back of the field and either retiring or finishing behind a Cadillac. The team scored its first point at the Monaco Grand Prix. The Hungarian Grand Prix saw the team roll out an extensive upgrade package. Alonso finished the first practice session in thirteenth, which was Aston Martin's best session to date.