Honda has announced that the new F1 power unit will be used for the first time on Wednesday during a filming day of Aston Martin at the Hungaroring. The engine is being tested in the updated AMR26, with which the team made significant progress last weekend during the Hungarian GP. The introduction will take place before the official race debut at the Dutch GP in Zandvoort, immediately after the summer break.
Read more Prince Bernhard of Orange sells stake in Zandvoort ahead of final Dutch GP
Initially, Honda had designated the Dutch GP as the moment when the first update within the ADUO program would be introduced. The Japanese manufacturer has now brought that plan forward slightly and wants to collect important data during the filming day at the Hungaroring with the updated power unit in the Aston Martin. “In Hungary, we supported the team with the integration of the power unit,” responded Shintaro Orihara, general manager and chief engineer of Honda, to the media.
“We were also able to collect important data that will help us for the next race. Now we are going to take an important step by introducing our new engine in the Netherlands. Before that happens, we will test the new engine before the summer break in the AMR26 during a filming day on Wednesday.” The first signs of the updated Aston Martin were positive last weekend. Lance Stroll finished thirteenth in Budapest, just ahead of Fernando Alonso, who reached Q2 for the first time this season. This meant the team stayed ahead of Cadillac, Williams, and Haas, among others.
‘Zandvoort will be interesting’
Alonso saw the upgrade as an important foundation for the second half of the season. “I think it was a good step forward, both in qualifying and in the race. So it is a new base to work with for the second half of the year,” summarized the Spaniard. “The correlation is good and the performance gain is there, as we expected. Of course, we are still in an early stage. It is a completely new car, a new concept, so there may be more to come in terms of setup, optimization, and such things.”
Read more Foreign media praise Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli after show in Hungary: ‘Undisputed master’
The two-time world champion looks forward to the combination of the improved car and the new Honda engine. “The next race is also with the engine upgrade. It will be interesting to see where we stand in Zandvoort and what we can fight for.”
Read everything about the Hungarian GP here
NOW ONLINE: 45 pages Race Special Hungarian GP: our online magazine with news, reactions, analysis, and interview!
