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Honda has accelerated the rollout of its new power unit by debuting it on the upgraded Aston Martin AMR26 during a limited filming day at the Hungaroring. The session, which covered 200 kilometers, took place ahead of the originally planned introduction at the Dutch Grand Prix later in August.
Prior to Honda’s unveiling, Aston Martin had already introduced significant upgrades to the AMR26, generating optimism within the team. Drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso both expressed positive feedback, with Stroll describing the enhancements as “the most hopeful upgrade we’ve had in a very, very long time” and Alonso acknowledging clear progress in performance.
A sneak‑peek test before Zandvoort
Honda’s decision to bring forward testing allowed the new power unit to complete 46 demonstration laps on the Hungarian circuit during a filming day held on Wednesday. Due to the nature of the session, the car ran on demonstration tires instead of race-spec Pirellis and was limited to basic setup configurations. Despite these restrictions, the test provided valuable early insights.
Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s track operations chief, emphasized the importance of the outing, stating, “It’s a good opportunity to test the new power unit with the new chassis.” While the session was brief and limited, it marked a crucial step in the development process ahead of the more competitive environment expected at Zandvoort from August 21 to 23.
Aston Martin has opted not to disclose any data or specific results from the test, maintaining strict confidentiality around the performance and feedback gathered during the day.
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