Honda will run its updated Formula 1 power unit at the Hungaroring on Wednesday. The engine will be installed in Aston Martin’s AMR26 for a scheduled filming day. It will be the first track appearance for this version of the power unit.
The test follows Aston Martin’s strongest weekend of a difficult season. Lance Stroll finished thirteenth in Hungary, with Fernando Alonso directly behind him. Both drivers reported better balance from the revised AMR26 package.
A first run before the summer shutdown
Honda trackside manager Shintaro Orihara announced the plan after the Hungarian Grand Prix. He said the team had collected temperature and installation data during the race weekend. The engineers will use those readings during the short run.
A filming day has tighter limits than a normal Formula 1 test. The team receives only a restricted amount of running with demonstration tyres. Aston Martin will therefore focus on basic checks and clean data collection.
The updated unit was originally linked with the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. Honda still plans to introduce the specification for competition at Zandvoort. The Hungarian run places a controlled systems check before that race debut.
Wednesday also falls before the compulsory Formula 1 summer shutdown. Factories then close for a fixed period under the sporting regulations. The timing gives engineers one final track session before that break begins.
Orihara described the filming day as Honda’s first track check with Aston Martin. The new specification has not yet completed a lap inside the AMR26. The Wednesday session gives both engineering groups their first data from the full installation.
Hungary supplied a better baseline
Aston Martin brought a heavily revised car to the Hungarian Grand Prix. The package changed several visible areas and created a new working baseline. Both cars reached positions ahead of Cadillac, Williams and Haas on Sunday.
Alonso reached the second qualifying session for the first time this season. He later said the car behaved as the simulations had indicated. That correlation matters when a team introduces several connected changes together.
Stroll led the pair at the finish after a steady race. Neither driver scored points, but the gap to the midfield became smaller. Completing the race with both cars gave the engineers a stronger baseline.
The AMR26 remains a new concept for the current regulations. Aston Martin has spent the opening months learning its balance and cooling demands. A power-unit change adds another component to that continuing integration work.
Aston Martin raced at the Hungaroring on Sunday and holds recent circuit data. Weather and track conditions will differ during the filming day. The recent race data still provides a baseline for temperatures and system behaviour.
Honda prepares the Zandvoort introduction
The Dutch Grand Prix opens the second part of the Formula 1 season. Practice at Zandvoort begins after the long summer pause. Honda wants the updated unit checked before the car enters a competitive session.
Modern power units combine an internal-combustion engine with complex electrical systems. Every connection also interacts with cooling, software and energy deployment. A clean filming day lets the team confirm those connections at low risk.
The updated unit will work with Aston Martin’s cooling and electrical systems. Honda engineers will monitor temperatures and energy delivery throughout the short run. Aston Martin can compare those readings with data collected during the Grand Prix.
| Car | Aston Martin AMR26 |
|---|---|
| Power unit | Updated Honda specification |
| Track run | Hungaroring filming day |
| Race debut | Dutch Grand Prix |
Alonso called the Hungarian package a positive step for qualifying and race pace. He also stressed that the team was still early in its development process. The engine update will become another measured part of that process.
Demonstration tyres and limited mileage make direct lap-time comparisons unreliable. Engineers will instead monitor temperatures, pressures and electrical communication. These checks can be completed before Friday practice begins in the Netherlands.
The AMR26 stays in Budapest
Aston Martin will keep the AMR26 at the Hungaroring after the Grand Prix. Honda engineers will support the installation and initial running. The programme remains separate from the normal race weekend and tyre testing.
The first laps will give engineers temperatures, pressures and electrical readings. They will also check communication between the power unit and the car. Those are standard operating questions for a new specification.
The AMR26 will remain at the circuit after Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Honda and Aston Martin staff can begin the installation without moving the car. That schedule leaves the short track programme before the compulsory factory shutdown.
Honda’s competitive introduction remains scheduled for the Dutch Grand Prix. The Hungaroring appearance is therefore a preparatory run with clear limits. It connects the improved Hungarian weekend with the next planned technical step.
Aston Martin enters the break with a stronger car and fresh engine work. The Wednesday run offers one final track check before the factories close. Zandvoort will then provide the first full comparison under race conditions.
Filming-day limits keep the task focused
Formula 1 permits filming days for promotional running under strict sporting limits. Teams use demonstration tyres rather than the current race compounds. The available distance is also far shorter than a normal test.
Those rules prevent Aston Martin from treating Wednesday as another Grand Prix practice. The engineers cannot complete a broad setup programme or long tyre comparison. They can still confirm temperatures, communication and basic power delivery.
The familiar circuit reduces the number of unknown conditions around the run. Aston Martin already has recent surface and weather information from Budapest. The car will still operate with different tyres and a separate programme.
Honda’s staff can compare the new readings with the previous specification. Temperatures and energy delivery provide the main early reference. Any installation problem can then be addressed before the first Zandvoort practice.
The AMR26 carries the complete cooling and electrical installation used during races. Running the engine inside that car checks more than the power unit alone. It also checks the connections shared with Aston Martin’s chassis systems.
The short session fits naturally between the race and the factory shutdown. Cars, equipment and staff are already present at the Hungaroring. That removes a separate journey while preserving the planned Dutch race debut.
The update follows a difficult first half
Aston Martin entered Hungary without a point from the opening part of the season. Its revised car did not solve every weakness in one weekend. It did provide a more competitive comparison with the lower midfield.
Stroll and Alonso finished together after running without a major reliability failure. That allowed the team to collect a complete race distance from both cars. Honda can now compare the new engine with data from both cars.
Zandvoort will place the update under normal competition rules. Practice, qualifying and the race bring changing fuel loads and tyre demands. The Wednesday run gives Honda a shorter systems check before that competitive debut.
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