Troubling Aston Martin development as power unit supplier shares 'we are struggling' update

Aston Martin's future power unit supplier, Honda, has shared a worrying update, saying it is struggling with the upcoming power unit regulations. The Silverstone-based squad is partnered with Mercedes as its power unit supplier but will move on from that in 2026 with the advent of new rules and join hands with Honda.

In an interview with PlanetF1, the head of the power unit program Koji Watanabe sounded unconvinced of the brand's prospects with the new engine formula:

“We are struggling. Now we are trying our best to show the result next year. Everything is new. The motor is a new 355-kW, very compact one we need. Also the lightweight battery, it’s not so easy to develop. And also the small engine with the big power. Everything is very difficult, but we try our best.”

The Japanese brand has become a success story in the current regulations, as its Red Bull association helped kickstart a new dominant era in F1.

After the turbo hybrid era began in 2014, Mercedes used its massive power unit advantage to dominate the sport. In 2021, however, this dominance ended when the Honda-powered Red Bull team's Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the title. Since then, Verstappen has not lost a championship and the Japanese brand has benefitted. This was also one of the primary reasons Aston Martin approached Honda for a post-Red Bull stay in F1.

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Aston Martin's Adrian Newey warns that 2026 could be power unit-dependent

Adrian Newey has claimed that the 2026 F1 regulations could trigger a return to the 2014-style pecking order where power units became one of the more dominant aspects of competitiveness. Talking to the German publication AMuS, Aston Martin's biggest signing said:

"There has to be a big chance that it's an engine formula at the start. The reality is I can't remember another time in Formula 1 when both the chassis regulations and the regulations have changed simultaneously. And in this case the chassis regulations have been very much written to try to compensate, let's say, for the power unit regulations. So, it's an extra dimension.

I think engine manufacturers will have learnt to an extent on the lack of preparation that the rivals to Mercedes did prior to that change [for 2014] but there has to be a chance that one manufacturer will come out well on top and it'll become a power unit-dominated regulation, at least to start with."

With Newey expecting 2026 to be power unit dependent and Honda claiming that it was struggling, these are not the updates that Aston Martin would want to listen to, especially with its aim of fighting for the title next season.