According to Motorsport.com Italia, Aston Martin Racing is already looking ahead to the future as Honda maps out a clear two-step development plan for its 2027 Formula 1 power unit. The current campaign has not met expectations, forcing the Silverstone-based squad to focus heavily on the road ahead and specifically on closing the gap with its rivals in the engine department.
Honda, partnered with Aston Martin starting this season, is not planning a single massive package to bring its V6 up to speed. Instead, the Japanese manufacturer has laid out a phased roadmap. The first update will arrive right at the start of the 2027 World Championship in Australia, though it will not immediately bridge the deficit to the front-runners.
Shintaro Orihara, head of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), detailed the upcoming engine program. "As I already said, we have to make several steps to reach our main competitors," Orihara explained. "Our goal is to introduce some improvements already for the first race. However, we have to admit that, even then, we will not yet be at the level of the top teams."
To compensate, a second major upgrade is scheduled for the eighth round of the season at Monaco, set for June 4 to 6, aligning with the timeline previously indicated by Adrian Newey. Orihara noted that the bulk of the engineering work focuses on the internal combustion engine, widely considered the weakest link of the current Japanese power unit. With the 2027 regulations shifting the power distribution away from the 50-50 split, increasing the importance of the thermal engine year on year, improving combustion performance is critical.
Meanwhile, Honda has been working on the current power unit, introducing a recent update at Singapore to tackle the turbo lag that plagued both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll throughout the year. Orihara confirmed that adjustments to control strategies and energy management during practice and the race yielded positive results, successfully mitigating the lag.
Unfortunately, recent race execution has not always reflected those technical steps forward. At Austin, Alonso's points ambitions were abruptly ended on the opening lap at turn 11 when he was hit by the Williams driven by Alexander Albon, severely damaging the floor and bargeboards of his machine. Despite the race-ending damage, Honda reported a smooth weekend for the power unit itself, logging strong mileage and regular sessions without technical trouble.
