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Bernie Collins spotted Aston Martin chiefs in deep discussions with Honda on the first day of the second 2026 F1 Bahrain test after detecting an issue with their new engine.
Pre-season testing has proven to be a problematic affair for Aston Martin so far, as the team enter not only the 2026 F1 regulations era but also their new life as the works Honda engine team. Aston Martin secured an exclusive power unit supply from Honda after it left Red Bull.
Adrian Newey has also now taken over as the team principal of Aston Martin for the 2026 F1 season. But the design legend has not delivered a dream car for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, with Stroll fearing that Aston Martin are four seconds a lap slower than the top teams.
Honda’s engine accounts for 1.5s of Aston Martin’s pace deficit, after GPS data from the first official pre-season test in Bahrain last week revealed fundamental issues across the board at the Silverstone squad. And the second Bahrain test did not start any better for Aston Martin.
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Bernie Collins saw Aston Martin hold deep discussions after Honda checked Fernando Alonso’s engine
Alonso took the Aston Martin AMR26 for a spin in the morning session on the first day of the second Bahrain test this Wednesday. But his running was curtailed after a couple of hours, as the Honda engineers in Aston Martin’s garage investigated a possible power unit problem.
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Former Aston Martin strategist Collins saw Honda’s engineers use a borescope to look inside the engine in Alonso’s car, before team bosses then quickly gathered to discuss the findings. The mood in the Aston Martin garage also gave Collins the feeling that there was a big issue.
Collins said on the official F1 broadcast (18/02, 09:11): “Well, I have a theory, more than a line, if you like. We’ve just been stood outside Aston Martin. We were having a little look around. But as we did that, the screens pulled across in front of us in full blockage.
“I think what’s happened at Aston, just from observing, is that they had a borescope out of the back of the engine.
“So, that was the Honda mechanics and engineers sort of using a little camera to look inside the engine and see what’s going on there. I think they found something quite detrimental.
“And that sounds like that could stop the car for quite a while if they find an issue internally in the engine. As they sort of looked at the screen, there was a little bit of discussion in the garage about it. Then the screens came across, and I think that will curtail their running significantly as we just watched the engineers step off the pit wall and into the garage.”
Aston Martin’s start to life as the works Honda engine F1 team has been plagued by problems
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Newey has delegated the responsibility at Aston Martin to deal with Honda’s engine since he stepped up to be their team principal, after serving as their managing technical partner since arriving last March. Andy Cowell, who Newey replaced, is Aston Martin’s liaison with Honda.
Cowell now has the role of chief strategy officer at Aston Martin and focuses largely on their engine partnership with Honda and fuel partnership with Aramco. It is the first time that the Silverstone squad have fielded a factory F1 power unit and also used their own fuel supplier.
Aston Martin previously used Petronas fuels as an engine customer of Mercedes, who also supplied their gearboxes. But the changes have created issues, with it being said that Aston Martin face a six-month timeline to build a new gearbox as the current design is too fragile.
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