Aston Martin has made a major step forward in 2026, with Fernando Alonso scoring at Zandvoort. But Honda’s new engine still faces a key driveability problem.
Aston Martin Has Found Speed — But Not Yet Consistency
Aston Martin's 2026 Formula 1 project is finally showing signs of life.
After a difficult opening part of the season, the team has made a significant step forward with its latest chassis and aerodynamic developments. Fernando Alonso's points finish at the Dutch Grand Prix provided tangible evidence that the AMR26 is moving in the right direction.
Alonso finished ninth at Zandvoort, scoring two points for Aston Martin, while Honda introduced its latest power-unit specification.
But beneath the encouraging result lies a much more complicated picture.
Aston Martin has reportedly gained around three seconds across two race weekends, yet both Alonso and Lance Stroll have highlighted essentially the same weakness: the car remains difficult to drive consistently because of the behaviour and delivery of the Honda power unit.
That leaves the team facing an intriguing question: how much of Aston Martin's recent progress can actually be converted into performance if the drivers cannot fully trust the car?
🟢 The Chassis Is Finally Moving Forward
The biggest positive for Aston Martin is that the AMR26 chassis appears to have made a genuine step forward.
The major upgrade package introduced at the Hungarian Grand Prix and subsequently refined at Zandvoort has improved the car's mechanical grip, tyre management and overall behaviour.
Fernando Alonso has been particularly encouraged by the progress.
The Spaniard's points finish at Zandvoort was only his second points-scoring result of the 2026 season, but it provided an important indication that Adrian Newey's influence and Aston Martin's development programme can produce meaningful gains.
The improvement is particularly impressive considering how far behind Aston Martin appeared earlier in the campaign.
🇯🇵 Honda's New Engine Delivers Its Target
Honda also arrived at Zandvoort with a major development.
The updated power unit was designed to deliver additional performance while addressing some of the weaknesses that had affected Aston Martin earlier in the season.
Honda says the new specification achieved its key target.
On paper, that sounds like excellent news.
However, the reality from inside the cockpit is more complicated.
The drivers have continued to report problems with the way the power is delivered, rather than simply the amount of power available.
That distinction is crucial in modern Formula 1.
A driver needs to be able to predict how the car will react when braking, changing gear, accelerating and deploying electrical energy.
If that response changes unexpectedly, the driver loses confidence.
⚠️ Driveability Has Become the Biggest Problem
This is where Aston Martin's situation becomes particularly interesting.
Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have identified driveability as a major weakness.
Stroll described inconsistent engine braking and problems with downshifts, while Alonso has also highlighted difficulties with the behaviour of the power unit.
The problem isn't necessarily that Honda's engine is fundamentally lacking performance.
Instead, the challenge is making that performance usable and predictable.
A Formula 1 car can have a competitive power unit on paper but still be difficult to exploit if the driver cannot anticipate its response.
🧠 Why Is Driveability So Difficult to Fix?
The 2026 regulations have dramatically changed the power-unit philosophy.
The new generation of Formula 1 engines places much greater importance on electrical energy, while the MGU-K has significantly more responsibility than before.
That creates a complex relationship between:
- The combustion engine
- Electrical deployment
- Regeneration
- Battery management
- Engine braking
- Gear changes
- Throttle response
- Software calibration
Honda therefore isn't simply searching for more horsepower.
It needs to make the entire system work together in a way that gives the driver confidence.
That is considerably more complicated.
🔧 Honda Still Has Work to Do
Honda has acknowledged that there is still room to improve the power unit's driveability.
The manufacturer has been working with its engineers and the HRC Sakura facility to understand how to improve combustion consistency and the engine's response to driver inputs.
The challenge is timing.
The 2026 season is already well underway, meaning there is limited opportunity to introduce major changes.
Honda and Aston Martin must therefore balance performance improvements against reliability, development time and the constraints of the regulations.
🧑🔧 Adrian Newey's Role
Another fascinating element of the Aston Martin story is Adrian Newey.
The legendary designer arrived with enormous expectations, particularly because Aston Martin's long-term ambition is to become a genuine championship contender.
The early results were disappointing, but the recent chassis improvements have offered a much more encouraging picture.
The key point is that Newey and Aston Martin now appear to have a better understanding of the aerodynamic and mechanical direction required for the AMR26.
The remaining challenge is integrating that chassis performance with Honda's power unit.
And that is where the project could become extremely difficult.
🏎️ Alonso's Points Finish Changes the Conversation
Fernando Alonso's ninth place at Zandvoort may look modest compared with the podium battles at the front.
For Aston Martin, however, it was significant.
It proved that the team can score points when circumstances and performance come together.
Honda itself highlighted Alonso's result after the Dutch Grand Prix, with the Spaniard taking two points.
More importantly, the result provides evidence that the underlying chassis improvements are real.
The question now is whether Aston Martin can make those gains repeatable.
📈 Three Seconds Is Encouraging — But Not Enough
Finding three seconds over two weekends is an enormous development step.
But Formula 1 is brutally competitive.
A gain that looks spectacular in isolation can quickly disappear if rivals introduce their own upgrades.
Aston Martin therefore needs to continue developing the chassis while Honda works on the power-unit behaviour.
The two projects cannot be separated.
A better chassis with an unpredictable engine remains difficult to exploit.
Likewise, a better engine cannot deliver its full potential if the aerodynamic platform is inconsistent.
🔮 What Happens Next?
The next phase of Aston Martin's season could tell us much more about the team's real potential.
There are essentially three questions:
1. Can Honda fix the driveability?
This is the immediate priority.
2. Can Aston Martin maintain its chassis gains?
The team must prove that Zandvoort was not simply an isolated improvement.
3. Can Alonso and Stroll trust the car?
Driver confidence is essential.
If the drivers can consistently predict how the AMR26 will react, Aston Martin could unlock significantly more of the performance already available.
🏁 Final Thoughts
Aston Martin's 2026 season has reached a fascinating turning point.
The team has finally found meaningful performance, Fernando Alonso scored points at Zandvoort, and Honda says its latest engine specification achieved its main target.
But the biggest problem remains.
The driveability of the Honda power unit is preventing Aston Martin from fully exploiting the progress made with the chassis.
That makes the coming races crucial.
If Honda can solve the power-delivery problem while Aston Martin continues developing the AMR26, the team could turn its recent improvement into something much more significant.
If not, the three-second gain may remain a promising but incomplete step.
Aston Martin has finally found speed. Now it needs to make that speed usable.