Honda president dismisses rumours of ‘deteriorating’ relationship with Adrian Newey and Aston Martin

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As the issues stemming from Honda’s power unit have derailed Aston Martin’s season, Koji Watanabe has confirmed their relationship is still strong.

During a press conference held at Suzuka, Honda confirmed they can’t improve Aston Martin’s issues ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

The vibration issues have plagued Aston Martin’s season so far. Things got so bad that Adrian Newey attempted to exaggerate the issues to earn some concessions for the FIA.

When do you think Aston Martin will complete their first Grand Prix this season?

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Amid the internal issues, Honda asked for improvement in their relationship with Aston Martin, given Adrian Newey’s comments blaming them for the issues.

However, despite Newey throwing Honda under the bus, the Japanese suppliers still have a positive outlook over their relationship with the team.

READ MORE: ‘Caretaker’ Adrian Newey had ‘no desire’ to be Aston Martin team principal in the first place

Honda president Koji Watanabe confirms Aston Martin relationship still strong

Ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, Honda president Koji Watanabe held a press conference to address their relationship with Aston Martin and their big issues.

When asked about the relationship between Honda and Aston Martin suffering, Watanabe denied the insinuation, admitting that the relationship is strong and will get stronger over time.

“Not at all, our relationship is not deteriorating. Trust is not something that can be built overnight; it’s something that is developed over a long period of time, through various hardships. In that sense, I think now is the stage for building trust.”

“On the practical side, Enrico Cardile (Aston Martin F1 Chief Technology Officer/CTO) and Tetsushi Tsunoda, LPL (Large Project Leader) at HRC, share the same concerns and are working together. Vibration isn’t something that can be solved by the PU alone.

“At the very least, Enrico and Tsunoda, the top practical leaders, are communicating very closely, and I think this partnership is working well.”

READ MORE: Aston Martin realised Adrian Newey is not suited to team boss role after hearing his Honda outburst

Aston Martin hoping both drivers finish Japanese Grand Prix

Ahead of this weekend, there has been a lot of talk about what Aston Martin’s goals are for the Japanese Grand Prix, given the struggles they’ve had so far.

Speaking at the media day press conference, Lance Stroll noted that the team are hoping to just get both cars across the finish line.

“We’re just trying to improve the issues we had in China. In China, we had big vibration problems and reliability issues.

“So, just tackling some of those problems and getting both cars to the chequered flag would already be a good step forward from us.”

Aston Martin and Honda are hoping to show an improved performance at the Japanese Grand Prix. While both drivers finishing the race is the goal, given their myriad of issues, it is far from a guarantee.