With a major power unit upgrade in time for the 2026 F1 Dutch Grand Prix, we just might see an Aston Martin competing for points at Zandvoort?
An Aston Martin car genuinely competing for points in a 2026 Grand Prix? We just might see it happen at Circuit Zandvoort this weekend.
As it happens, Aston Martin will be fitting its first major power unit upgrade during the upcoming Dutch GP on August 21-23, 2026. Honda will deliver this new-specification PU as its first Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) upgrade of the season.
How does ADUO benefit F1 teams?
The ADUO program works by tracking each power unit manufacturer's Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) performance. The FIA uses a specific index that weighs factors like engine speed, input shaft torque, and MGU-K power.
This system evaluates manufacturers four times each year, after every six races.
To level the playing field, manufacturers trailing the benchmark ICE by 2-4% get one development opportunity this season, plus potentially one more next year.
This season, Red Bull Powertrains-Ford produced the benchmark ICE. Mercedes was 2% behind Red Bull, while Ferrari, Honda, and Audi trailed by 4%.
This meant that Honda, which manufactures F1 power units exclusively for Aston Martin, qualified for the development opportunity this year. If they remain at the bottom of this power unit hierarchy at the end of the season, they'll have another ADUO upgrade in 2027.
Per Shintaro Orihara, Honda Racing F1 Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer, the team's focus lies on the performance of their combustion engine. But frankly, their problems have already mounted up, much more beyond their power unit.
Aston Martin's long list of performance issues
Beyond Honda's power unit problems, the AMR26 has had glaring weaknesses in other parts of the car.
Aston Martin has struggled with balance, particularly understeer. We saw that in Silverstone, when driver Lance Stroll was penalized three separate times for exceeding track limits. The Canadian would say that the car is "aerodynamically very broken."
Then, there are the extreme vibrations that shouldn't be purely a Honda power unit issue. These vibrations have caused battery failures, which led to mechanical costs. Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), said that the vibration was "acceptable" before the PU was integrated in the chassis.
So, yes, Honda and Aston Martin have to work a whole lot more together. Orihara did praise Aston Martin's people for "not complaining", a collaborative attitude that will make this process go smoother.
With Aston Martin making changes on and off the track, let's see how their new PU performs at Circuit Zandvoort.
