Honda has confirmed it will introduce an upgraded power unit on Aston Martin's AMR26 at the Dutch Grand Prix, with a filming day in Hungary this Wednesday providing the first opportunity to run the new engine.
The Japanese manufacturer's trackside general manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara revealed the timeline following Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix, where Aston Martin showed signs of recovery after introducing its B-spec car.
"We will now take the important step of introducing our new-spec power unit in the Netherlands," Orihara said. "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."
The filming day, which permits a maximum of 200km of running, represents a crucial checkpoint for Honda's development programme. Orihara described it as "a good opportunity to check how our new engine runs on the chassis."
Aston Martin endured a difficult opening half of the 2026 season, languishing at the bottom of the constructors' championship. However, the team's B-spec upgrade in Budapest delivered encouraging results, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finishing 13th and 14th respectively — ahead of an Alpine, both Haas cars, and both Williams.
The improved chassis performance has increased the urgency for Honda to deliver on its side of the package. "Now we are back to racing the field. Then all improvement is very important to catch up to others," Orihara acknowledged. "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."
Aston Martin currently sits 10th in the constructors' championship, one place and one point clear of F1 newcomers Cadillac, thanks to Alonso's solitary point from Monaco. The team will hope the combined effect of the B-spec chassis and the upgraded Honda power unit can propel it up the order in the second half of the season.
The summer shutdown will follow immediately after the filming day, with racing resuming at Zandvoort on the last weekend of August.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101941/1/honda-reveals-when-new-f1-engine-will-run-race-debut
