Honda identifies the source of the battery problems on the Aston Martin

The preparation program in Formula 1 byAston Martin It was chaotic. Arriving late for the Barcelona shakedown, the British team covered only limited mileage before heading to Bahrain. Over the course of the test days at the Sakhir circuit, Aston Martin and Honda accumulated significantly less mileage than their rivals, with just 2,115 km compared to 6,202 km for Mercedes Benzwho recorded the highest total number of kilometers traveled.

The situation reached a critical point on the final day, which was cut short after only six laps were completed by Lance stroll. The day before, Fernando Alonso had already caused a red flag following a track stoppage. The possibility of a battery issue, exacerbated by the immediate lack of spare parts, was quickly raised. Speaking to the Japanese press, Ikuo Takeishi, CEO of HRC, clarified the nature of the problem. According to him, unusual vibrations observed during testing damaged the battery system. "which was the main cause of the stoppage on the track," explained Takeishi.

The investigations focus on both the power unit and its integration into the chassis: “The engine department is naturally investigating the cause and working on countermeasures, while simultaneously implementing solutions at the chassis level. […] More specifically, we are currently using the Sakura battery on a test bench, installed in the monocoque, and we are actively implementing several countermeasures while carrying out vibration readings and analyses.” The Japanese manufacturer, however, remained cautious regarding the exact origin of the phenomenon. While the battery was affected, it is not certain that it was the primary cause. The mounting area appears to be particularly vulnerable, suggesting a complex interaction between the motor, transmission, chassis structure, and even the characteristics of the different tracks.

A problem unlike anything seen in the Red Bull era

This fragility contrasts sharply with the period of domination known with Red Bull between 2021 and 2024, notably marked by four Formula 1 titles Max Verstappen and the two from the Austrian team. Honda claims to have never encountered such a phenomenon of destructive vibrations during this collaboration. "This was clearly not a problem at Red Bull.", said Ikuo Takeishi, "But I believe that significant regulatory changes are one of the reasons. Another possible cause could be substantial modifications to the power unit itself."

Several explanations have been put forward, including recent regulatory changes, substantial modifications to the power unit, and differences in overall architecture between the cars, despite the arrival of Adrian Newey, who had a long history with Red Bull. Once integrated into the car, the engine unit becomes one source of vibration among others, interacting with the entire structure.

Improvements planned for Suzuka

The CEO of HRC reiterates: "It's not about which team has the best technical capabilities. It's more about the car as a whole. Unfortunately, the combination of these factors led to a particularly difficult outcome this time." Correcting a single element might therefore not be enough, suggesting the possibility of a gradual resolution process: "Under these circumstances, it's not certain that repairing a single component will be enough to solve the problem, and we therefore cannot rule out the possibility that this will drag on. That said, in terms of sheer determination, I am absolutely determined to resolve this issue quickly."

Despite this difficult start, Honda is showing its determination. The objective is clear: to significantly reduce these vibrations and make the AMR26 competitive by the third round of the Formula 1 season in Japan. "My aim is to reduce vibrations before Suzuka, or rather before the start of the season, but I intend to get the car into a competitive state before Suzuka."

While pure performance remains difficult to assess at this stage, due to the lack of representative long runs during testing, the Japanese manufacturer is confident. HRC president Koji Watanabe reaffirmed the brand's undiminished ambition: to return to winning ways. It remains to be seen whether the technical fixes will be enough to get Aston Martin and Honda back on pace from the start of the season, or if this vibration issue will still plague the early races of 2026.

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