Honda is engaged in a full factory return F1 with Aston Martin, but the confidence that once powered the manufacturer’s championship domination has been replaced by urgency, uncertainty and a worrying sense of alarm.
Honda Racing vice-president Koji Watanabe has just delivered a sobering assessment of where things really stand behind closed doors, admitting that the company’s F1 development programme has so far been a “mixed bag”.
The partnership between Honda and Aston Martin, coupled with the genius of Aston Martin designer and team principal Adrian Newey, was supposed to be the "silver bullet" to topple the established order.
Yet, with the season opener in Melbourne looming, the technical specifications are still in a state of flux according to Watanabe, whose admissions suggest that instead of a polished masterpiece, Honda is currently wrestling with a beast that isn't quite tamed.
“We are at the stage where specifications are being fixed for the pre-season tests, and assembly is about to commence,” Watanabe told Japan’s Sportiva, painting a picture of a factory working at a fever pitch.
“However, homologation is at the end of February, so I expect development will continue right up to the very last minute.”
©Honda
This "last minute" approach isn't just about fine-tuning; it's a desperate sprint to find performance that currently seems elusive.
“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,” the Honda chief warned.
‘Not everything is going well’
In a sport where corporate leaders usually speak in polished platitudes, Watanabe’s bluntness is staggering. He hasn't just admitted to minor hiccups; he has described a development process that is as volatile as the engines themselves.
“We’re advancing development by incrementally assessing performance gains from integrating various components. Some prove successful, others fail unexpectedly – it’s a mixed bag,” he admitted.
“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.”
©Aston Martin
While he insists the hurdles aren't "fatal," the admission of "struggling" in "many areas" will surely send shivers down the spine of Lawrence Stroll and his ambitious Aston Martin squad.
The challenge is further complicated by the need to shrink-wrap this complex hybrid technology into a chassis designed to satisfy Newey’s exacting standards.
Read also: Honda to unveil 2026 F1 engine at special event in Tokyo“In this situation, we are quietly concentrating on improving performance and reliability,” Watanabe noted.
“Aston Martin also wants to keep building cars that reflect Adrian’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!”
Whether "whatever it takes" will be enough to bridge the gap before the lights go out in Melbourne remains the billion-dollar question. For now, the Honda camp is less a temple of zen and more a pressurized boiler room.
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