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Honda have been granted an extra £14m by their F1 rivals to improve their fortunes in 2026, as it was feared that they might quit the sport.
Returning to F1 as an engine supplier in 2026 with Aston Martin, their project has been a disaster. Honda’s power unit is seriously lacking power, leaving Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll miles off the pace.
Aston Martin’s AMR26 has not helped the situation either, with severe vibration issues in the car causing major health issues. However, the Silverstone outfit have been quick to blame Honda for the problems, especially Adrian Newey.
Can Aston Martin’s relationship with Honda survive long-term?
Newey blasted Honda for the car’s underperformance, sparking rumours of a deteriorating relationship between the team and the manufacturer. Honda have denied these claims, and are working hard to improve their situation.
Aston Martin staff are ‘depressed’ in the paddock as they have little optimism about whether their fortunes will change. Honda are limited in terms of what they can do to improve the power unit under the regulations, but their rivals have stepped in to help.
F1 teams were worried Honda would ‘quit’ the sport if they did not help them in 2026
Under F1’s ADUO system (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities), manufacturers that are 2% behind the benchmark are granted an extra upgrade for 2026 and another for 2027. If they are 4% behind, two additional upgrades are allowed per year.
However, Honda’s situation is so dire that they are believed to be 10% behind the benchmark. According to journalist Jon Noble, F1 teams knew they had to step in to help their situation, as it was feared that they would quit the sport.
He said via The Race’s YouTube channel: “Struggling engine manufacturer Honda is on the verge of getting a $19 million cash boost for upgrades. And it’s all thanks to rivals having rallied around and agreed to help.
Did Aston Martin make a mistake dropping Mercedes as engine partners for Honda?
“Yes, Formula 1 may be a cutthroat business at times with teams rarely wanting to do anything that will help the opposition out. But in Honda’s case, things are different.
“The scale of its struggles with Aston Martin, which has left it battling major reliability problems and fighting towards the back of the 2026 grid, were deemed alarming enough for F1 and other manufacturers to step in.
“This was because of the risk they felt of Honda potentially calling it quits and turning its back on F1 if it could not sort things out. The exit of a big car maker like Honda would have been of no help to anybody in Grand Prix racing.”
READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage
What have Honda been granted to mitigate Aston Martin’s 2026 struggles?
A report from The Race provides more details as to what Honda have been granted and how it will benefit them moving forward in 2026.
F1 have given Honda ‘extra allowances’ to spend on upgrades. The maximum allowance under the cost cap has been lifted to $11m, or roughly £8.1m for manufacturers that are 10% off the pace.
On top of that, a ‘one-off allowance’ of $8m (roughly £5.9m) has been included for Honda in 2026, giving them a potential $19m, or £14m, in budget to improve their engine and Aston Martin’s season.
The Silverstone outfit can also spend more time on the test bench, with the 190-hour cap being extended to 230 hours for manufacturers that are 10% behind.
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