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Aston Martin were significantly off the pace again during Free Practice at the Japanese Grand Prix, and Karun Chandhok didn’t hold back when questioning team ambassador Pedro de la Rosa on the matter.
The start of the 2026 F1 season has been nothing short of a disaster for Aston Martin. Following huge expectations for Adrian Newey’s first full term with the team, the Silverstone-based outfit has fallen short at every hurdle so far.
What’s your podium prediction for the Japanese Grand Prix?
Honda’s power unit has been deemed to be the leading factor in the dismal pace of the AMR26, and staff from the Sakura-based engine manufacturer are facing difficulties in their attempts to improve their woes.
Newey is ‘not doing well’ according to former colleague Helmut Marko, and recent reports have suggested that the 67-year-old’s stint as team principal may be coming to a swift end following Jonathan Wheatley’s departure from Audi.
- READ MORE: Gabriel Bortoleto just shared exactly why Aston Martin want his former Audi boss Jonathan Wheatley
Karun Chandhok shares what ‘confuses’ him about Aston Martin’s Honda engine issues
During Sky Sports F1’s live coverage of FP1 at the Japanese Grand Prix, pundit Karun Chandhok was able to collar Aston Martin’s Pedro de la Rosa for a few words after the chequered flag.
Chandhok’s concerns were raised after the Spaniard said, “Honda is a different company as well from what they were back in 2014. There are so many things, really, that have changed and that are changing as we speak.”
If Aston Martin decide to replace Adrian Newey as team principal, who should they sign?
The former F1 driver interjected, “That’s actually a point because I found one of Adrian’s admissions from Melbourne quite extraordinary.
“He said it was only in November last year, when people went from the team to Honda, that they realised the scale of the problem. I’m a little bit confused by that, to be honest.
“Surely, before you sign a deal with a team, you do your due diligence. You understand what it is. Honda have come out and said they streamlined the program in 2021 when they withdrew temporarily. How have you arrived in this situation? That’s the bit that confuses me.”
It also recently came to light that Red Bull were suffering from issues with their Honda power units last year, during the final year of collaboration between the Japanese engine manufacturer and Milton Keynes.
No one at Aston Martin was aware of the problems, which may have been beneficial ahead of such a big rule change.
- READ MORE: Gary Anderson urges the FIA to ‘step in’ as Honda’s theory for Aston Martin vibrations is not viable
Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa responds to Karun Chandhok’s concerns
De la Rosa was handed an opportunity to respond to Chandhok’s qualms, to which he said, “Well, if we had all the answers, we wouldn’t be here right now within this situation.
“But it’s fair to say that a lot of the issues that we have found on the car, on the vibration side, for example, were not seen on the VTT (Virtual Track Testing), or they were to a much lesser extent.
“So there are many things that have been found running the car. And because once you run, it’s so close to the start of the season, there’s not a lot of time to react.
“That’s racing. Other people got it right, so fair enough. We just have to keep trying and pushing.”
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