Monza was a debacle for Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso’s team was the slowest on the straights due to issues with their Honda engine, and that inevitably left them at the bottom of the standings. But not everything was negative: Fernando Alonso spotted early signs of improvement in the Honda engine.
Specifically, Alonso said that the handling had improved in Monza compared with Zandvoort, which was the first race with the new Honda engine. The problem is that that isn’t noticeable on tracks with as many straight sections as Monza, but Alonso trusts that in upcoming races Honda’s progress will be visible.
The Honda engine has improved its handling
You can’t say Monza was a good Grand Prix for Honda. The Aston Martin was losing in the straights by more than a second per lap compared to Cadillac, the second-worst team. That Honda power unit is still very behind, but for the eye of an expert there were green shoots in Italy.
That is what Fernando Alonso states, who after the race in Monza explained that “we’ve improved the handling, but that doesn’t affect much in Monza, since we go 90% of the time with the pedal to the floor.” The Aston Martin suffers especially when running at half throttle and in the upshifts and downshifts.
In fact, Alonso asserted that “it will be more noticeable in Madrid or Singapore”, which are two of the next three Formula 1 races. But the reality is that “in Monza I prefer power to handling.” So next week’s race at the new Madrid circuit will be key to understanding how Honda is performing.
Especially because improving the handling was one of Honda’s keys to be able to unleash more power from its new engine. It was said that the power unit debuted in Zandvoort had 30 hp more, but only 15 hp are being used, since the other half could not be exploited without handling.
Now Formula 1 is racing in Madrid, a tighter circuit but with some fast sections and, above all, with several intermediate throttle points where it will become clear whether the handling of that Honda engine has truly improved. If not, the walls of the new Valdebebas circuit will be a danger for Alonso.
Looking at the remainder of the calendar, Madrid, Singapore and perhaps Imola, if it finally returns to the schedule, will be Alonso’s best options in 2026.
Images | Honda, Aston Martin
