Honda Racing president Koji Watanabe is blunt about the hurdles surrounding the Japanese marque’s return to Formula 1. The company announced in 2021 it would officially withdraw from the sport after a successful spell with Red Bull. Not long after, however, it signed an exclusive power-unit deal with Aston Martin. Watanabe admits that “not everything is going smoothly” ahead of the first race with the British team.
In an interview with the Japanese outlet Sportiva, Koji Watanabe opened up about the challenges for 2026. “To be honest, not everything is going smoothly,” he conceded. “There are many areas we’re struggling with, but nothing fatal has happened that we cannot overcome. In this situation we are calmly concentrating on improving performance and reliability.” It was previously revealed that homologation of the new V6 hybrid engine is scheduled for the end of February, meaning Honda is using all available development time.
“We’re at the stage of locking down the specifications for the winter tests,” Watanabe continued. “However, homologation doesn’t take place until the end of February, so I expect development will continue right up to the very last moment.” He stressed that Honda is taking a step‑by‑step approach to assess the engine’s performance. “We develop by gradually evaluating the performance gains that come from the development of different components. Some prove successful, others fail unexpectedly; it’s an unpredictable mix.”
Adapting to Adrian Newey
Their standing relative to the competition still isn’t clear. All engine manufacturers face the same challenges in 2026, so there remain big question marks over the eventual pecking order. “Given the uncertainty around the competitors’ progress, it remains a fight to see whether we can hit our own, self-imposed targets. But honestly, we need more time for that,” said the Honda boss.
The Japanese, however, are looking ahead with confidence and stress their focus on collaboration with Aston Martin. “Aston Martin also wants to build cars that reflect Adrian Newey‘s vision,” Watanabe concluded. “The next step is to see how we can adapt our power unit to that. If that strengthens our position versus the competition and increases our chances of winning, we will do everything necessary,” he assured.
