Honda rules out further 2026 engine upgrade

Honda says Aston Martin will have to wait until 2027 for its next major power unit step, despite Monza again exposing a substantial straight-line deficit with the new ’Spec 2’ unit.

Honda race chief Shintaro Orihara said the development roadmap is now focused on the opening race of next season.

"We have a roadmap for developing the engine and we know where we are right now," he said.

"Based on that roadmap, we will take another big step forward for the first race."

But he cautioned that even that may not completely erase the gap.

"It’s difficult to say if we’ll be able to close the gap completely by the first race, but we’re still working to reduce that gap."

"But, as I’ve already mentioned, we won’t have any major engine upgrades this year."

The main positive from Monza, after the Spec 2 debut at Zandvoort, was improved drivability after Honda brought countermeasures developed at Sakura.

"We received positive feedback from the drivers and also saw positive aspects in our data," he said.

"It’s a positive step for us before going to Madrid, where manageability is quite important."

Aston Martin’s Mike Krack agreed that the car had become more predictable.

"If the car is consistent, the driver can get closer to the limit," he said. "From that point of view, it’s been a positive step."

But he admitted the overall picture at Monza "isn’t very positive".