Newey: Honda 'a little bit disappointed' with its 2026 progress but 2027 projects show promise

A guarded assessment

Aston Martin's first season with Honda power has not gone to plan, and on Friday in Austin the team's technical leader said so, if politely. Asked in the FIA press conference whether Honda's progress had matched its own expectations, Adrian Newey said the company had "probably been a little bit disappointed with how much progress they have managed to make this year".

He framed that as fuel rather than a verdict. Setbacks, Newey said, only strengthen Honda's resolve, and the company now has good people and processes in place, though such things do not change overnight. Asked how the deficit splits between chassis and power unit, he said it was not for him to say, and pointed to GPS data for a clearer picture. He also declined to discuss any gap between simulation and track behaviour, citing the intellectual property of both companies.

The Stroll meeting

The comments came after reports that team owner Lawrence Stroll had travelled to Honda in Japan following a difficult Singapore weekend, where Fernando Alonso complained about power unit driveability. Newey said the meeting was simply "a scheduled meeting". Senior executives from both companies meet every two to three months, he explained, and he and others joined online.

Looking back to Red Bull and ahead to 2027

Newey placed Honda's position in context by comparing it with 2019, when Red Bull's works team picked up the Japanese manufacturer. Honda, he said, is slightly behind where it was then, but that was four seasons after its 2015 return, whereas 2026 is its first year back. He added: "I have every confidence that they will accelerate quickly."

On 2027 he said many projects are under way, some at an early stage, and that he sees a lot of promise in them. It was too early to say where the power unit will stand at the start of next season, or whether a further step could arrive by the eighth race, which would need approval from the Power Unit Advisory Committee.

What our data shows

The numbers explain the mood. Through 17 rounds, Aston Martin has scored in just three races, all with Alonso: 1 point in Monaco, 2 in the Netherlands and 4 in Bahrain, for 7 in total. His best finish is eighth in Bahrain. Our results data records 18 retirements across the team's 34 race starts, with both cars out in Australia, China, Spain, Italy and Azerbaijan.

Crash.net reports that Aston Martin sits tenth in the constructors' standings, ahead only of Cadillac. With the United States Grand Prix this weekend and five rounds still to follow, 2027 is increasingly the real target for Newey and Honda.