While admitting that Honda needs “more time” to hit its own targets for 2026, the Japanese manufacturer has encountered nothing it “can’t overcome.”
Honda HRC President Koji Watanabe has offered an update on where he believes the project is, heading into the first season of collaboration with Aston Martin.
Honda’s Koji Watanabe: Nothing fatal has happened that can’t be overcome
With Formula 1 introducing a new evolution of the 1.6-litre V6 hybrids, increasing the electrification ratio to a 50/50 split with the internal combustion engine, the five power unit manufacturers on the grid in 2026 have faced a stern challenge to meet the new engineering challenge that the cutting-edge technology represents.
Japanese manufacturer Honda returns to the grid in an official capacity in 2026, partnering with Lawrence Stroll’s Aston Martin squad to coincide with the start of the new regulation cycle.
Honda formally withdrew from Formula 1 at the conclusion of the 2021 season, but kept up a supply/maintenance contract with Red Bull and Racing Bulls through the last four years of an engine freeze through its Honda Racing Corporation arm.
The Aston Martin link-up is a full-blooded factory effort from Honda and, with the fruits of its labour not far away from hitting the track for the first time as pre-season testing kicks off in Barcelona, behind closed doors, on January 26.
While the final specifications to start the racing season haven’t yet been fully confirmed, HRC President Koji Watanabe has explained where Honda is at in terms of its preparations for the new formula.
‘We are at the stage where specifications are being fixed for the pre-season tests, and assembly is about to commence (as of the first week of December),” he said in an interview with Japan’s Sportiva.
“However, homologation is at the end of February, so I expect development will continue right up to the very last minute.”
Honda is due to unveil its new 2026 power unit at an event in Tokyo on January 20th, which will feature speakers Toshihiro Mibe as president and CEO of Honda, Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
In January 2025, while speaking to the media, including PlanetF1.com, at the Daytona 24 Hours, Watanabe had opened up on the extent of the challenge facing the manufacturer.
“Everything is new,” Watanabe admitted.
“The motor is a new 350-kW, very compact one we need. Also, the lightweight battery it’s not so easy to develop. And also the small engine with the big power.
“Everything is very difficult, but we try our best.”
Over the 12 months since, how has Honda made progress? The results, Watanabe said, would be better if there were more time before the 2026 action begins.
“Given the uncertainty surrounding rival manufacturers’ progress, it remains a battle to see how close we can get to our own self-imposed targets. Frankly, we still need more time,” he said.
“We’re advancing development by incrementally assessing performance gains from integrating various components. Some prove successful, others fail unexpectedly – it’s a mixed bag.”
Asked to assess where Honda is at, Watanabe was frank: “To be honest, not everything is going well, so there are many areas where we are struggling, but nothing fatal has happened that we cannot overcome.
“In this situation, we are quietly concentrating on improving performance and reliability.
“Aston Martin also wants to keep building cars that reflect Adrian [Newey]’s vision, so I think the next step for us on the power unit side is to figure out how to adapt to that.
“If doing so increases our competitiveness and makes us more likely to win, then we’ll do whatever it takes!”
It’s important to note that the FIA has already taken on board the possibility of engine manufacturers not being competitive at the start of the new engine cycle.
In 2025, the governing body outlined the ‘ADUO’ safety net, which will afford manufacturers additional development and upgrade opportunities at different waypoints throughout ’26.
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Honda’s relationship with Aston Martin
Honda’s move from Red Bull to Aston Martin mirrors that of the Silverstone-based squad’s new team principal, Adrian Newey, who has succeeded former team boss Andy Cowell in the role, as Cowell has moved into a more engine-integration-focused role.
Both Cowell and Newey continue to work closely with Honda through the process, Watanabe explained.
“Andy will focus on the areas he has been involved with until now, such as the power unit, fuel supplier Aramco, and lubricant supplier Valvoline, while Adrian will oversee the entire car and also serve as team principal,” he said.
“For us, it’s simply a matter of continuing as before. The technical team will continue to work mostly with Andy, while I (as president) will be working more with Adrian.
“Yesterday, Lawrence Stroll and I discussed this, and we don’t believe the partnership is perfect at this stage. We believe it is something we will build upon going forward.”
Watanabe said Honda is working “night and day” to try creating a championship-winning engine for Aston Martin, as it did for Red Bull for many years.
“We have the technology and know-how accumulated over many years in Formula 1, so I believe we can ultimately reach a competitive position, and I think we must,” he said.
“However, rather than focusing only on the short term, such as how the first year goes, we are aiming to create a framework to continue competing in F1 in close partnership with Aston Martin.
“By building an environment where we can pursue emerging technologies with potential for innovation (without prematurely halting their development), we believe we can achieve growth in the long term. We are discussing this with the technical team and steadily building the structure while keeping the future in mind.”
As for the potential of supplying more than just Aston Martin in the future, Watanabe said it’s not yet top of the priority list.
“I believe it’s only natural that we should do so; it’s a given for a racing company,” he said.
“To be honest, we haven’t given it any thought yet. For now, our engineers are saying, “Let us concentrate on developing the power unit we have in front of us,” so we’re focusing on our partnership with Aston Martin and concentrating on creating something good.
“However, as management, I believe there are significant benefits to expanding our supply base beyond that. We intend to work diligently on that front as well.”
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