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With Mercedes and, to a lesser extent, Red Bull-Ford believed to have found a loophole in the new rules regarding the compression ratio of the internal combustion engine, Honda prefers to keep expectations in check ahead of the upcoming campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, if we are going to compete, we are committed to winning,\u201d said Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation, as the brand revealed its new F1 power unit on Tuesday. \u201cHowever, the 2026 regulations are technically extremely challenging, and perhaps we will struggle.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this stage, before any on-track testing, we don\u2019t know the gap to our rivals, so we\u2019ll have to wait and see once testing begins. In the long term, we aim to fight for championships.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Andy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/stefano-domenicali-lawrence-st.jpg\")
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Andy Cowell, Lawrence Stroll, Stefano Domenicali, Toshihiro Mibe, Koji Watanabe<\/p>\n
Photo by: Motorsport.com Japan<\/p>\n
As it happens, Honda is worried about its internal combustion engine, admitting that its development is \u201cnot necessarily\u201d going as expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe electrification side is progressing as planned. However, that is not necessarily the case for the internal combustion engine,”\u00a0Tetsushi Kakuda, Honda\u2019s F1 project leader, told Autosport.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, a lot depends on the amount of development time available. Taking that into account, we believe we have done everything we can to the fullest extent.\u201d<\/p>\n
There also is uncertainty about the Aston Martin outfit, which – despite billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll\u2019s mammoth investment – has never been a top team since its founding as Jordan Grand Prix in 1991.<\/p>\n
The AMR26, however, will be the team\u2019s first machinery to have fully benefitted from its new infrastructure in Silverstone \u2013 as well as new team principal Adrian Newey\u2019s input<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pre-season testing will get under way at Barcelona from 26-30 January.<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n We want to hear from you!<\/p>\n Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.<\/p>\n