Honda president admits Adrian Newey was right all along about staffing issues before 2026 season

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Adrian Newey made some astonishing claims about Honda’s problems ahead of the 2026 season, and he has just been proven right by their president.

Honda’s return to F1 was expected to bring success with Aston Martin, given their success with Red Bull in the previous rule cycle and Lawrence Stroll’s heavy investment, which included Newey’s arrival at Silverstone.

However, it has been a living nightmare, as severe vibration issues, poor reliability and a general lack of pace have left Aston Martin struggling to complete half the race distance. With just one point on the board in 2026, Newey has been heavily critical of Honda.

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Koji Watanabe confirms Adrian Newey’s claim that Honda were short-staffed ahead of 2026 season

The 67-year-old engineer started the season as Aston Martin’s team principal, but has since stepped back to focus on improving the AMR26. Newey has heavily pointed the blame at Honda for the car’s underperformance.

Newey had a huge outburst in Australia, claiming that Aston Martin would be unable to complete 25 laps before pulling into the pits due to the vibrations. Problems with the power unit are still happening now, with Lance Stroll lasting just five laps in Barcelona.

The situation has been so dire that Newey is telling Honda to prepare their 2027 engine, suggesting that he has already given up on 2026. His design choices for Aston Martin’s car have contributed to the team’s woes, but he has, publicly at least, blamed Honda.

In that outburst in Australia, Newey claimed, via Sky Sports, that Honda had only retained 30% of their original workforce after announcing their return to F1. He said that this was the reason for the Japanese manufacturer starting on the back foot, as their new hires were new to the sport.

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Honda president Koji Watanabe has since confirmed this claim to The Race, stating that they were short-staffed after they reassembled their workforce.

“I sent the engineers back to Honda Group at the end of March 2022, and we announced the return to Formula 1 in April 2023,” he said. “So in that period we almost stopped F1 activities.

“Of course we continued to provide the PU to Red Bull, but the number of engineers was quite small. As soon as we announced the return to Formula 1, then we got back engineers from the Honda group, or even hired new staff. But it took time.”

“It was not easy to immediately [get them] back. Sometimes it took two months for one leader to return, or one guy needed three months. It took almost one year to get 100% of the staff.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Aston Martin F1 team principal Adrian Newey

Koji Watanabe maintains a good relationship with Adrian Newey after Honda criticism

Honda have been warned that Newey will lose motivation if they cannot solve their problems in 2026. The relationship does sound tense, but Watanabe has assured that the communication between him and the Brit is positive.

He added: “The internal discussion between Adrian and myself is quite open and honest. Of course what he said to the outside media, that has some impact, but [what is] important is how we can discuss in an honest way and open way to solve the problem.

“We continued this kind of attitude between us and Aston Martin. So that’s why we could solve the problem step by step.”

“Of course, the relationship was not immediately established. It needed time, it needed experience. Step by step, our relationship between Honda and Aston Martin team is getting stronger day by day. I’m quite satisfied. But it took time. How to work is different from our previous partner.”