Fernando Alonso is refusing to lose faith in Honda, even as Aston Martin’s ambitious new partnership with the Japanese manufacturer has stumbled badly out of the blocks this season.
Honda’s return as a full-fledged works power-unit partner in Formula 1 has been anything but smooth in 2026, with reliability problems and a lack of performance leaving Aston Martin fighting far below the heights envisaged when the alliance was formed.
Yet Alonso remains convinced that the ingredients for a turnaround are already in place.
The veteran Spaniard is particularly encouraged by Honda’s commitment and the strength of its technical operation in Japan.
He also sees clear parallels with the manufacturer’s difficult beginnings with McLaren and subsequent transformation into a race-winning force with Red Bull — only this time, Aston Martin cannot afford to wait half a decade for the results.
Alonso refuses to abandon Honda
“Yes, 100%. I think it's a huge commitment from Honda,” he said on Thursday ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.
“You know, the facilities we have in Japan are one of the best.
“I think the personnel and the management of the power unit now has been reinforced as Honda said, and a lot of people that were in the previous project, they are in again on this one.
“So, I think I have no doubts, and I trust Honda 100%. We just need to shortcut somehow, you know, that process, you know?
“Unfortunately, we started on the wrong foot, and we started with with these set of regulations not at the level that we wanted, but I have no doubts that they will get there, you know?
“And, as I said many times, you know, we don't want to wait five years like they did last time, or six years.
“We want to do it in two years or three years maximum.”
‘No one is happy’ with P9
Honda did provide Aston Martin with a major power-unit upgrade at Zandvoort, where Alonso came home ninth, while the Silverstone-based outfit had also introduced a significant B-specification chassis upgrade at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
But the 45-year-old knows better than most that small steps forward are not enough for a team with championship ambitions.
A ninth-place finish may have lifted spirits inside Aston Martin, but it hardly represents the kind of result that will satisfy a driver who has spent his career chasing victories.
“We cannot be happy just with P9, and I think no one is happy in the team,” he said. “And, you know, it was a nice, nice boost for everyone knowing that, at least, the direction that we are taking is the right one.
“Because we changed a lot of things in the car since Budapest, and obviously, we know, or we feel that in the corners, we are getting in a much better place.
“So, that gives hope for everyone in Silverstone that if we keep on going on this philosophy and this strategy at this pace of development, eventually, we will be one of the fastest in the corners.
“So, we just, you know, we tick one of the boxes. Then, on the engine side, I think Zandvoort was, yeah, not a big improvement to be honest.
“The drivability was a problem, and the extra power was difficult to feel in Zandvoort.
“Maybe Monza is going to be a, you know, a more true test for the for the engine, but, you know, still a long way to go, and we need to improve on both ends, in chassis and on engine, for next year, and it's a must.
“So, that's the biggest thing.”
Read also: Button hopes ‘true F1 great’ Alonso ‘stays a little longer’
Monza, with its long straights and relentless demand for power, should therefore provide Honda with a considerably harsher examination than Zandvoort.
For Alonso, the verdict is not yet due – but the clock is unquestionably ticking. His faith in Honda remains absolute. His patience, however, comes with a deadline.
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