There were no great hopes for how much Aston Martin could improve after its disastrous start to the season. Even with the two seconds promised for Hungary, Fernando Alonso would not be able to climb out of the last position on the grid. But now one piece of news is restoring hope: what Honda is preparing is a true revolution.
According to journalist Franco Nugnes, of Motorsport, Honda will introduce in Zandvoort a new engine with 50 HP more of power than the current one. A radical change that, combined with Aston Martin’s new chassis in Hungary, could really change Fernando Alonso’s season after the summer.
Honda will gain 50 horsepower of power after the summer
The first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season has been marked by one word: disappointment. The performance of the new cars has been disastrous, wrecking some of Formula 1’s most iconic circuits, and particularly in Spain neither Fernando Alonso nor Carlos Sainz have had the tools to compete. But that could change.
And indeed, according to Motorsport, Honda is preparing something huge for the Dutch Grand Prix, the first after the summer. Specifically, journalist Franco Nugnes gauges the power gain Aston Martin will achieve with the evolution of the power unit Honda has announced for Zandvoort at 50 HP.
“Alonso will drop from Formula 2 to step into Formula 1”, the journalist dared to predict, adding that “we will see very beautiful battles.” And indeed Aston Martin already expects to gain two seconds just with the new chassis they will debut in Hungary, the AMR26B, but 50 HP more would propel them to another dimension.
In fact, Nugnes asserts that “Aston Martin hopes to be able to fight with Racing Bulls, Alpine and Audi” when Honda’s engine upgrade arrives. In other words, Fernando Alonso would be fully into the points fight. We would be talking about a near four-second improvement in two races, something virtually unprecedented in Formula 1.
For the moment, Aston Martin has to fit the new chassis in Hungary, which they still did not even know if they would be able to mount on both cars. Even if they manage it, finding those promised two seconds will be tricky, and even more so in the early stages. But the promise is on the table.
For Alonso, for the Spanish fans and for the imminent Madrid Grand Prix, nothing would be better than a radical evolution of Aston Martin.
Images | Honda
