The first months of Honda’s partnership with Aston Martin have been downright painful, but the Japanese manufacturer is now looking ahead again.
Honda’s F1 project looks completely different from its glory years with Red Bull in terms of personnel, which led Honda to realise in January that the start of this new era would be problematic – even more problematic than expected, as general trackside manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara acknowledged.
At Zandvoort, the Japanese manufacturer will introduce its first ADUO upgrade of the year, which is entirely focused on the internal combustion engine.
That step is intended to bring Honda back into the “racing field” in terms of engine performance, although several more upgrades will be required to close the deficit.
That development is set to continue in 2027, which is already a major focus behind the scenes.
“For 2027, we have slightly different regulations for the fuel flow rate, but still our development programme is the same. We need to improve our combustion performance even further,” Orihara said during an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com.
“So, we will still focus on improving the performance of our combustion engine, and we want to bring some bigger steps for that in 2027. That is our main focus point.”
Besides improving the internal combustion engine, integration into the chassis is also a key priority for next year
Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / Getty Images
The new engine and chassis also provide an opportunity to better integrate the Honda power unit into Adrian Newey’s design, Orihara acknowledges.
At the beginning of this year, there was plenty of discussion about Newey’s alleged last-minute requests and the complexity that came with them, but with a year’s experience of working together under their belts, there are opportunities to improve the integration for next season.
“We are talking closely with Aston Martin to integrate our power unit better into their new chassis. So, yes, we are now focusing on developing a good engine for 2027 and also working closely with Aston Martin behind the scenes.”
Honda sets ambitious target despite difficult start
Honda’s previous F1 spell also began in difficult fashion, but ultimately ended with world championships alongside Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
Given the current struggles, nobody in Silverstone (Aston Martin) or Sakura (Honda) is thinking about victories yet, let alone world championships, but the past does provide some confidence that another turnaround can be achieved in the longer term.
Asked about the expected timeline for reaching the competitive level Honda is targeting, Orihara revealed: “It’s difficult to say an exact time scale in Formula 1 because our performance is always relative to another competitor.
“After the summer shutdown, we want to go back to the racing field, and then we are working hard in the factory to bring an even bigger step for 2027, but, again, we should be realistic.
“So, I think that at the beginning of 2027, maybe we will not have the best of the power units yet, but we will be closer to the top competitor. And then we keep pushing hard to be top competitor, I hope, in 2027 or 2028.”
That means Honda wants to be the benchmark in F1 again by the end of next season or at the start of the 2028 campaign, or at least be back among the leading group of power unit manufacturers.
Honda believes a turnaround in F1 is on the cards and aims to be back at the top by the end of 2027 or early 2028
Photo by: Honda Racing Corporation
Could reliability become an issue again in 2027?
Closing the deficit, however, is not the only aspect Honda needs to take into account for next year.
All manufacturers also need to be prepared for the announced fuel flow changes. They are part of the broader shift towards a 58-42 balance between the internal combustion engine and electrical power in 2027, followed by the intended 60-40 split in 2028.
“The most challenging point of that will probably be the reliability,” Orihara said. “If the fuel flow rate would not be changed, still reliability developments would be required from our side if we improve the performance. But that is expected anyway.
“But now we increase the fuel flow rate as well, so the demands in terms of reliability will be quite big. For us, it’s about combustion improvement and on top of that the fuel flow rate increase.”
Nevertheless, Orihara believes it is feasible for Honda to reach the required level of reliability despite these changes.
“It will be a big demand for reliability and the development time is quite short. So, I think that is a challenging point, but thanks to the FIA they’ve made reasonable steps.
“If we would get a big number in one year, then it would be a big problem. But now that they have split it into two steps, that is a reasonable number in terms of power [increase], considering we need to care for the show as well. It will still be challenging for reliability, but I think it’s a good decision.”
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: motorsport.com
