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Honda return to Suzuka under pressure, battling reliability woes, poor performance and lingering vibration issues, admitting they’re “not where we want to be” in 2026.
A race official waves the yellow flag as Aston Martin’s Canadian driver Lance Stroll (C) leaves the track during the Chinese Grand Prix (AFP Photo)
Honda’s homecoming at the Japanese Grand Prix was supposed to be a celebration.
Instead, it’s shaping up to be an ugly yet much-needed reality check.
To state that the new regulations haven’t been kind to Honda — and Aston Martin, in turn — would be an understatement.
According to a report by LWOSreliability concerns, underwhelming performance, and inconsistent energy management have all combined to leave the Japanese manufacturer on the back foot.
Both the internal combustion engine (ICE) and battery systems are struggling. And the worst thing is that Honda are still trying to fully understand why.
“In China, we made some progress in terms of battery reliability thanks to a reduction in the vibration affecting the systems. But we must find more solutions to establish the cause of the vibrations affecting the drivers,” Chief Engineer Shintaro Orihara stated ahead of the race weekend.
That vibration issue? It’s become the central headache that has impacted both performance and drivability.
Aston Martin’s Gamble Not Paying Off… Yet
When Aston Martin F1 Team switched from Mercedes to Honda engines, it was seen as a bold, potentially game-changing move.
The idea was simple: full control over car and engine development. And with former Red Bull Racing ace engineer Adrian Newey onboard, expectations were sky high.
Newey, who had full freedom, reportedly made specific design requests to Honda to suit his radical vision for the AMR26. But that freedom may now be backfiring.
There’s growing suspicion that the car’s aggressive packaging could actually be hurting the power unit, especially contributing to those damaging vibrations that got Fernando Alonso weary already.
So far, fixes introduced in Australia and China haven’t solved the issue.
Drivers Bearing The Brunt
Even Fernando Alonso has hinted that the current solutions are more cosmetic than corrective, masking deeper flaws rather than fixing them.
And now comes Suzuka — one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar for energy deployment and efficiency.
“We have also focused our efforts… to continue to improve our reliability. But still our performance is not where we want it to be, especially regarding energy management,” Orihara added.
“Suzuka Circuit is a tough track for this… We are not at the level where we wanted to be going into this weekend. But we will keep working hard to maximise our package.”
March 24, 2026, 11:30 PM IST
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