Aston Martin’s 2026 AMR26 stalls in Bahrain testing due to Honda power‑unit glitches

Aston Martin’s new 2026 AMR26 has spent most of Bahrain testing in the garage, sidelined by Honda power‑unit faults. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso both saw runs cut short by battery glitches, leaving the team with the fewest laps of any newcomer.

Why it matters:

• Only car on the 2026 grid with Honda; reliability woes could set the team back as every millisecond counts.
• A 1.4‑second gap to the field (aside from Cadillac) highlights a performance deficit rivals will exploit.

The details:

• Wednesday: Power‑unit fault kept the car in the garage for four hours. Stroll’s spin later was traced to a technical fault, not driver error.
• Thursday: Alonso’s run halted by a battery issue flagged by Honda, prompting bench simulations in HRC Sakura.
• Friday: Honda cites a shortage of power‑unit parts, limiting the team to short runs.
• Benchmark: 1m35.974s – 1.4s slower than the nearest competitor.

What’s next:

Pedro de Rosa says the limited data points to clear development targets. The crew will ramp up Honda simulations and aim for a fuller program at the Australian GP, but early setbacks make the 2026 season start steep.