- Honda’s Shintaro Orihara warns Aston Martin’s power unit problems remain unsolved.
- Alonso and Stroll both retired from the opening two races due to vibration issues.
- Off-track instability adds pressure as the team arrives in Japan last in standings.
Honda’s trackside general manager, Shintaro Orihara, has warned that Aston Martin still faces serious problems at Suzuka this weekend. The team’s power unit crisis has not been fully solved. A difficult Japanese Grand Prix lies ahead.
Aston Martin sits last in the constructors’ championship after two races. Both cars retired in Australia. Both retired again in China.
After the Chinese Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso described the experience to DAZN in stark terms. Starting around lap 20 in China, he said, he lost all feeling in his hands and feet. He retired after 32 laps because the vibrations had become “different” and excessive.
Lance Stroll pulled out of the Chinese Grand Prix on lap 10 with a suspected battery issue. Over team radio, he reportedly described the AMR26 as the worst car he had ever driven in his career.
The root cause remains elusive
The problem is a severe vibration coming from the power unit. It damages the battery. It also breaks car parts and makes the car hard to drive.
Honda does not yet know exactly what is causing the vibrations. Engineers suspect several components are interacting badly with each other. That makes a simple fix unlikely.
Honda tested the engine, chassis and gearbox together at its Sakura facility. That work did not reflect real-world conditions well enough. The gap between simulation and reality has proved costly.
There is also a personnel factor at play. Many engineers who built Honda’s previous championship-winning power unit left when the company announced its exit from Formula 1 at the end of 2021. Much of the current team is relatively new to the sport.
The vibration problem creates a damaging chain reaction. The battery wastes energy because of it. Aston Martin then runs out of electrical deployment far earlier than its rivals on long straights.
Suzuka makes this worse. The circuit combines high-speed corners, long straights and relentless energy demands. Aston Martin’s weakness will be exposed there more sharply than anywhere else.
Orihara’s pre-Japan assessment
Orihara offered a measured update ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. Honda believes it has made some progress. But it still does not fully understand what is causing the vibrations.
He said the team made gains on battery reliability in China by reducing the vibrations affecting its systems. But he was clear that more work was needed.
“We have also focused our efforts in the gap between China and Japan to continue to improve our reliability, but still our performance is not where we want it to be, especially regarding energy management,” Orihara told RacingNews365.
“Suzuka Circuit is a tough track for this, so we have been using the learnings from Australia and China to prepare better for the Japanese Grand Prix,” he added.
The power unit is also down on power. That is another problem at a circuit as demanding as Suzuka. This is Honda’s home race on its full-time Formula 1 return.
Orihara was direct about where the team stands.
“We are not at the level where we wanted to be going into this weekend, but we will keep working hard to maximise our package,” he said. “We are looking forward to seeing the home crowd and the Honda fans. I want them to see that we have made some progress since Bahrain.”
What lies ahead
While the on-track issues have been severe, to say the least. Off the track, Aston Martin has faced instability too. Team owner Lawrence Stroll is believed to have made Jonathan Wheatley an offer to join the team. Wheatley recently left Audi with immediate effect.
Adrian Newey has been acting as team principal while he also remains Aston Martin’s managing technical partner.
Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe had set Suzuka as a key target. He wanted the power unit in a usable state by the Japanese Grand Prix. Whether that goal has been met remains unclear.
The timing matters. The Japanese Grand Prix falls before a five-week break. It gives the team a moment to take stock before racing resumes.
Aston Martin arrives at Honda’s home circuit without a single race finish this season. The team is not chasing a result this weekend. It is chasing proof that things are getting better.
