Honda were oblivious to nightmare problem until they put their engine in Aston Martin’s car

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Aston Martin’s vibration issues with their Honda engines have plagued them throughout 2026, but the Japanese giants were unaware of the problem until testing.

There was huge excitement surrounding Aston Martin’s project in 2026. Lawrence Stroll’s heavy investment, which included key signings such as Adrian Newey, as well as Honda’s engines, was backed to give them a competitive package.

However, it has been anything but competitive, as Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have been struggling to complete races, let alone fight for points. The Honda engines have been desperately unreliable and hugely down on power.

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Honda did not know the extent of their vibration issues until they put their engine in the Aston Martin

But the most alarming problem for the team has been severe vibrations. Newey said the car’s mirrors were falling off because of the issue and that it was causing nerve damage to Alonso and Stroll.

Newey blasted Honda in Melbourne over their lack of preparations and their power unit for the new regulations. But as it turns out, the Japanese manufacturer were ‘unaware’ of the severity of the issue.

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Honda president Koji Watanabe told The Race that they did not expect the vibrations to be as bad as they have been. They did not realise the true extent of the problem until pre-season testing, when the engine was paired with the AMR26.

“After we combined chassis and PU and tested on the circuit, then we recognised that it’s a problem,” said Watanabe.

“We didn’t expect such a kind of big vibration. Of course before the testing we had tested on the dyno, but at the time the vibration was not so big, so there were difficulties in how to solve the problem.”

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Can Honda improve Aston Martin’s woes in 2026?

Newey is applying pressure on Honda to provide them with an engine upgrade for the Belgian GP. They will receive two additional upgrades for 2026 and 2027 through ADUO, which is hoped to improve their fortunes.

Honda insist they are not giving up and are committed to F1 and their new project with Aston Martin. But the way things have gone in 2026, they will need to find solutions or risk falling further behind their rivals.

Alonso is furious behind the scenes as he faces another season of disappointment, despite being promised competitive machinery. He is now being linked with a move away from the team, with a decision set to be made on his future by the summer break.