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Guenther Steiner has claimed that Honda should be sent to ‘Formula 2’ after Aston Martin’s ongoing struggles in 2026.
It has been well documented that Aston Martin have endured a torrid start to the 2026 Formula 1 season under the guidance of legendary figure Adrian Newey.
With Newey at the helm and Fernando Alonso in the car, it was expected that the Silverstone-based outfit would be challenging at the front of the grid.
However, they have so far been left behind by their rivals, with their Honda-powered engine lacking in both reliability and performance.
Looking ahead, it is expected that Aston Martin will bring upgrades to the Belgian Grand Prix.
When will Aston Martin score their first podium of the Adrian Newey era?
And will they get one at all?
Guenther Steiner tells F1 to send Honda to ‘Formula 2’ after dismal start to 2026
Speaking recently on The Red Flags podcast, ex-Haas team boss Steiner delivered a scathing assessment of Aston Martin and Honda’s issues.
The 61-year-old stated that Aston Martin are currently ‘not F1 standards’ and Honda ‘need to go to Formula 2’ if they can’t improve the power unit.
Steiner said: “Aston Martin make even Cadillac look good, you know, and Cadillac were down three laps at the end of the race.
“What Aston Martin are doing now is just, in my opinion, not acceptable. It’s not F1 standards anymore. You’re dead last, but by a mile and then you don’t finish the race as well.
“I don’t think Lawrence Stroll is proud of what is happening there. But the buck stops with him. He owns the team.”
When asked whether F1 boss Stefano Domenicali could step in, Steiner added: “Stefano (Domenicali) has no authority to say when they should come in, when they shouldn’t come in, what they are doing, how they are performing.
“Unfortunately for him and in F1, there is no relegation rule in the regulation; in most other sports, if you’re not performing, guess what, you’re relegated.
“It’s not a lack of trying from Lawrence Stroll; there are very few people who put this much money of their own into F1 as Lawrence did. I think they need more than ADUO.
“I think Honda will get (ADUO) a lot because they are so bad, you know. It will help them for sure because if you keep Honda where they are, they need to go to Formula 2.”
Are Aston Martin below ‘F1 standards’ right now, or is Guenther Steiner being unfair?
READ MORE: Honda and Aston Martin called all their staff to ‘unity’ meeting at Barcelona GP
Following another disappointing outing at the Barcelona Grand Prix, Aston Martin chief Mike Krack issued an apology to fans.
He said: “When we drove in and out [of the circuit], it was so nice to see all these people with the green shirts, and we could not give them anything to cheer about.
“So in the first place, I’m really sorry for all the fans that have bought expensive tickets to see, to see their heroes, and we could not give them the pathway to perform.”
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