Honda has confirmed its upgraded Formula 1 engine will run for the first time during a filming day in Hungary on Wednesday, before making its competitive debut at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort after the summer break. The new power unit will be fitted to the Aston Martin AMR26 at a crucial juncture for the British team.
Shintaro Orihara, Honda's trackside general manager and chief engineer, revealed the plans following the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Aston Martin debuted its much-anticipated B-spec car. "In Hungary, we have been supporting the team with the power unit integration. We've also been able to collect vital data, which will help us come the next race," Orihara said.
"We will now take the important step of introducing our new-spec power unit in the Netherlands. Before then, during Wednesday's filming day, we will run the new engine in the AMR26 for the first time, before the summer shutdown commences," he added.
When asked if Honda feels the pressure to deliver on its side after Aston Martin made clear gains with its chassis, Orihara replied: "To be fair, yes. Now we are back to racing the field. Then all improvement is very important to catch up to others. To introduce the new power unit in Zandvoort is quite important now the chassis is working well. So our power unit should bring some laptime gain."
Orihara described the filming day, in which Aston Martin will be permitted to carry out a maximum of 200km of running, as a "good opportunity to check how our new engine runs on the chassis." Aston Martin heads into the summer break 10th in the constructors' championship, one point clear of F1 newcomers Cadillac thanks to Fernando Alonso's solitary point in Monaco.
Sources
- [Crash.net — Honda reveals when new F1 engine will run before race debut](https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101941/1/honda-reveals-when-new-f1-engine-will-run-race-debut)
