Honda 'not happy' after disastrous pre-season testing with Aston Martin

Honda has declared itself "not happy" after a disastrous pre-season testing period with its new partner Aston Martin, which was plagued by severe power unit reliability issues and a critical shortage of parts. The team managed only minimal running in Bahrain, culminating in just six untimed laps on the final day, leaving the partnership with a mountain of work before the season opener in Australia.

Why it matters:

This rocky start severely jeopardizes Aston Martin's ambitious plans to build on its 2023 success and challenge the top teams. With new technical regulations on the horizon for 2026, establishing a solid and reliable foundation with Honda this year is critical for long-term development. The lack of crucial on-track data and mileage puts both the team and the power unit manufacturer at a significant disadvantage heading into the first race.

The details:

• The problems began at the Barcelona shakedown last month, where Aston Martin missed the majority of running, and worsened dramatically during the two tests in Bahrain.
• The situation hit its low point on the final day in Bahrain, where Lance Stroll completed only six installation laps, none of which were timed, before the team ended its program early.
• The core issue was identified on Thursday when Fernando Alonso's car stopped on track. Honda confirmed a new power unit problem, which led to a severe shortage of available parts.
• Honda's trackside chief, Shintaro Orihara, stated the team failed to achieve its target mileage for reliability checks and data gathering, despite collecting some useful information.
• In response to the parts shortage, the teams in Japan (HRC Sakura), the UK (Aston Martin's factory), and Bahrain agreed on a severely limited run plan for the final day.

What's next:

Honda and Aston Martin face a frantic race against time to diagnose, solve, and produce parts for the reliability issues before the Australian Grand Prix.

• Orihara emphasized that all parties are now united in searching for solutions, with engineers collaborating across facilities in Sakura, Milton Keynes, and Silverstone.
• The immediate focus will be on ensuring both cars can run reliably in Melbourne to begin clawing back the valuable track time lost during testing. Failure to do so could see the team start the season on the back foot, struggling to unlock the potential of its new car.