Honda debuts new F1 engine in Aston Martin filming day before Dutch GP

Honda will unveil its new Formula 1 power unit at an Aston Martin filming day at the Hungaroring on Wednesday, bringing forward the engine’s first running ahead of its race debut at Zandvoort on 21-23 August.

The Japanese manufacturer had originally targeted the Dutch Grand Prix — the first race after the F1 summer break — as the event at which it would introduce its updated power unit, its first permitted under ADUO regulations. The filming day appearance now gives the team a low-pressure environment to run the new spec before competitive action resumes.

“We will now take the important step of introducing our new-spec power unit in the Netherlands,” said Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer. “Before then, during Wednesday’s filming day, we will run the new engine in the AMR26 for the first time, before the summer shutdown commences.”

Orihara added that Honda had used the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend to support integration work and gather data. “In Hungary, we have been supporting the team with the power unit integration. We’ve also been able to collect vital data, which will help us come to the next race.”

The timing follows an encouraging weekend in Budapest, where Aston Martin debuted its B-spec AMR26 and showed a measurable step in pace across both qualifying and the race. Lance Stroll finished 13th, with Fernando Alonso 14th — the Spaniard reaching Q2 for the first time this season. The pair outpaced Cadillac, Williams, and Haas.

Alonso was cautiously optimistic about the upgrade trajectory. “I think it was a good step forward, both in quali and the race, so yes, a new baseline to work with for the second part of the year,” he said. “The correlation is good and the performance gains are there, what we expect. It’s obviously early days with this new car — it’s a completely new concept, so more to come maybe on setup and optimisation.”

Looking ahead to Zandvoort, Alonso said the combined aerodynamic and power unit upgrades would provide a clearer picture of where Aston Martin stands. “Next race is also with the engine upgrade — it will be an interesting check in Zandvoort, where we are and what we can fight for.”