Honda’s growing partnership with Shintaro Orihara and Aston Martin has reached a notable milestone, with the Japanese manufacturer confirming it has, for the first time, retained an Aston Martin chassis at its Sakura facility for testing.
The move underlines the increasingly hands-on nature of the collaboration as both sides work to resolve early integration issues between Honda’s 2026 power unit and the AMR26 chassis. One of the most pressing concerns has been persistent vibration problems, which have already been evident during the opening rounds of the season.
Following Aston Martin’s first classified finish of the campaign at Suzuka—where Alonso came home 18th—the team shipped the AMR26 back to Honda for further static testing in Sakura. That decision allowed engineers to scrutinise the vibration issue in a more controlled environment, with Orihara confirming that progress has been made, even if the gains are unlikely to translate into a dramatic on-track step forward in the immediate future.
Behind the scenes, development work continues in close coordination between Honda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK, with reliability and vibration reduction currently the top priorities. Orihara has been careful to temper expectations, noting that while progress is heading in the right direction, it should not be mistaken for an imminent performance breakthrough.
Attention now turns to Miami, where a Sprint weekend format will further limit preparation time. With just a single 90-minute practice session available, teams will need to make rapid setup decisions. The circuit’s unusual blend of long full-throttle sections and tight, slow-speed corners is expected to place additional strain on driveability and energy management, particularly in warmer conditions.
In that context, FP1 becomes critical. Orihara emphasised that the session will be key for gathering data, refining cooling setups, and locking in race preparation ahead of Sprint qualifying. For now, the message from Honda is clear: steady progress, but no sudden leaps—at least not yet.
