Honda and Aston Martin called all their staff to ‘unity’ meeting at Barcelona GP

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Amid concerns over the nature of their relationship, Honda and Aston Martin held a joint meeting to improve their partnership.

It was a dire outing for Aston Martin at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, as both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso were forced to retire due to issues with the car.

While Stroll’s retirement was due to a gearbox issue (which Aston Martin developed), Alonso’s retirement came due to a battery issue, which Honda would be responsible for given they are Aston Martin’s engine supplier.

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As Aston Martin look to introduce upgrades to their car next month, Adrian Newey has put Honda under pressure to speed up the upgrades for the power unit as well.

This marks the latest chapter in what has been a tense relationship between the two sides. But Honda and Aston Martin recently decided to come together to try and improve their dynamic.

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Honda and Aston Martin held a joint meeting to improve relationship in Barcelona

Speaking in an interview with AS Web, Honda HRC president Koji Watanabe was asked about the tense relationship between Honda and Aston Martin amid a disastrous start to the 2026 season.

Watanabe never felt that the relationship was bad, but revealed that the two sides held a full team meeting to help improve communication and introduce a sense of unity between both sides.

“I don’t think the atmosphere was bad to begin with, but it’s certainly true that the sense of being one team has become stronger than ever. Overcoming this common problem of vibration together has been a valuable experience for us.

“It’s not a matter of who’s at fault, but rather the important thing is to focus on how to improve the car as a whole. That’s true not only for us, but for all the other teams as well; no team is saying things like, ‘It’s the PU’ or ‘It’s the chassis.’

“In fact, all the members from Aston Martin and Honda gathered here during the Barcelona-Catalunya GP weekend for a team gathering. The purpose was to communicate more with each other and strengthen our sense of unity. It was a great event, and everyone was happy. I think it was very good.”

READ MORE: Lance Stroll issues blunt verdict on ending Fernando Alonso’s 42-race qualifying streak in Barcelona

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Honda president suggests engine upgrades might not arrive with Aston Martin chassis upgrades

Speaking further in the interview, Watanabe also addressed the recent reports of Adrian Newey introducing the improved AMR26 in July.

“We might release the chassis and engine updates at the same time, or we might release them separately. In any case, we want to decide after considering what the best timing is for our PU.”

Even with Newey’s master plan to help Honda circumvent the cost cap, the engineers at Sakura don’t seem to have coordinated with Newey and Aston Martin about their engine upgrades.

If there is no clarity on whether the power unit and chassis upgrades will be introduced at the same time, this could create further complications for Aston Martin.