Honda F1 Engine Faces Baku Test With Aston Martin

Honda has made progress with the drivability of its 2026 power unit, but Baku will provide a demanding test for Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso.

Honda sees progress with its 2026 F1 engine

Honda believes it is moving in the right direction with one of the biggest weaknesses of its 2026 Formula 1 power unit.

The Japanese manufacturer has spent the season working on drivability. That means improving how smoothly and predictably the engine delivers torque when the driver gets back on the throttle.

According to Honda trackside chief and power-unit engineer Shintaro Orihara, Aston Martin’s drivers have provided increasingly positive feedback after several rounds of development. Honda also says it has seen good signs in the data from recent calibration changes.

The next test comes in Baku, where the characteristics of the circuit could make drivability particularly important.

Fernando Alonso drives the Aston Martin AMR26 during the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix.

Honda introduced its Spec 2 power unit at the Dutch Grand Prix. The update was intended to address earlier reliability problems and improve performance.

The team then continued working on the calibration of the engine.

Honda says that, over the three races after the Spec 2 introduction, it has made progress in drivability. During the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, the manufacturer also reported positive signs from its calibration work.

The improvement is important because drivability affects much more than peak engine power.

Why drivability matters to Alonso

A Formula 1 driver needs to know exactly how much torque will arrive when the throttle is opened.

An unpredictable response can make the car harder to control. It can also force the driver to be more conservative when accelerating out of a corner.

That is especially important on a circuit like Baku.

The Baku City Circuit combines a very long main straight with slow corners and a narrow old-town section. Formula 1 describes it as a track that requires teams to balance aerodynamic downforce against straight-line efficiency.

The first corner is also a 90-degree turn reached after braking from around 350 km/h. The castle section is much narrower and leaves very little room for mistakes.

That combination puts extra emphasis on a predictable throttle response.

Honda’s RA626H is the power unit developed for its first F1 season with Aston Martin under the 2026 regulations.

Honda has already experienced circuits where throttle response and energy management exposed the car’s weaknesses.

At Silverstone, Orihara said Aston Martin received positive feedback from Alonso about drivability consistency and energy management. Honda also reported similar progress at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Those comments provide useful context for the current work.

The problem has not disappeared completely. Instead, Honda has been trying to make the power delivery more consistent while preserving the performance gains from the updated engine.

Baku will reveal how much progress was made

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix offers a very different environment from Madrid.

The circuit is 6.003 kilometers long and includes 51 laps. Its long straight rewards low drag, while its slow corners demand strong traction and accurate throttle control.

That creates a useful test for Honda.

If the power delivery is more predictable, Alonso and Lance Stroll should have greater confidence when accelerating out of the slow corners. That confidence can be especially valuable when the barriers are close to the racing line.

Honda has also continued working with Aston Martin on energy management.

The partnership is still in its first season, and both sides are using each weekend to better understand how the RA626H and AMR26 behave together. Honda has described 2026 as an important learning year for its new partnership with the team.

Honda and Aston Martin are continuing to optimize the interaction between the RA626H power unit and the AMR26 chassis.

There is also a development limit to consider.

The focus is already shifting toward 2027, so Honda is unlikely to introduce another major performance package this season. The priority now is to maximize the hardware already available and improve its operation through calibration and setup work.

That makes the remaining races more about extracting performance than introducing completely new concepts.

Honda wants confidence, not just more power

The latest developments suggest that Honda’s goal is not simply to increase peak output.

Instead, the manufacturer wants Alonso and Stroll to have a more predictable power delivery. That can allow both drivers to attack corners with greater confidence.

The difference can be small on a dyno but important on a street circuit.

In Baku, every throttle application matters. A small hesitation or an unexpected torque response can cost time while also forcing the driver to leave more margin near the walls.

Honda therefore arrives in Azerbaijan with a clear technical objective.

The Honda F1 engine drivability issue is showing signs of improvement, but Baku will provide a much tougher examination because of its long straights, slow corners and narrow sections.

For Aston Martin, the target is simple: make the progress visible on track and give Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll a power unit they can trust when the throttle is opened.

The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place on September 26, with practice beginning on September 24.